TRI: In the News

TRI IN THE NEWS: Charlottesville Right Now: John Whitehead with Coy Barefoot

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute , joins Coy to discuss civil liberties.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Montana Judge Rules School May Censor Religious References in Valedictory Speech

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

BILLINGS, Montana, March 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Last Wednesday Judge Gregory Todd ruled in a summary judgment that a student at Butte High School was not unconstitutionally censored for refusing to remove references to Christ and God from her valedictory speech. Her attorney has said that they will appeal to the Montana Supreme Court.

Renee Griffith, one of the ten valedictorians in her class, had planned to say that she "didn't let fear keep me from sharing Christ and his joy with those around me" in her 2008 address. The high school student would also have spoken of "being someone who lived with a purpose from God with a passionate love for him."

The principal of Butte High School, John Metz, and the superintendent for Butte School District No. 1, Charles Uggetti, asked Griffith to replace the phrase “Christ and his joy” with “my faith,” and “from God with a passionate love for him” with “derived from my faith and based on a love of mankind," according to t...

TRI IN THE NEWS: Whitehead honored for life’s work by University of Georgia

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The president of the Rutherford Institute has won the 2010 Milner S. Ball Lifetime Achievement Award from the Working In the Public Interest Law Conference at the University of Georgia.

John W. Whitehead was cited for his “decades of difficult and important work, as well as [his] impeccable integrity in defending civil liberties for all.”

The award honors well-known legal experts and is given in honor of a longtime faculty member from the University of Georgia School of Law. The award was established in 2007.

The Rutherford Institute is an Albemarle County-based civil liberties group. Whitehead founded the organization with his late wife, Carol, almost three decades ago.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Ruling in Prayer Suit Could Have Wide Reach

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A federal judge in Delaware ruled Monday that it is constitutional for the Indian River School Board to open its meetings with Christian prayers, a ruling that could broaden what's allowed at school board meetings throughout the state.

In a 57-page opinion dated Sunday but not made public until late Monday, District Judge Joseph J. Farnan Jr. threw out a lawsuit brought by "Jane and John Doe" against the Sussex County school district that charged the board's practice violated the constitutional separation of church and state.

Farnan found that the elected school board is closer to a legislative body than a school, and therefore a prayer is permissible.

"Although reasonable people can differ as to whether the board's policy is wise, could be more inclusive or is actually necessary to solemnize board meetings, 'too much judicial fine-tuning of legislative prayer policies risks unwarranted interference in [a legislative body],' " Farnan wrote.

The judg...

TRI IN THE NEWS: John Whitehead Speaks at the Miller Center of Public Affairs [Video]

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, discusses his book, The Change Manifesto, at the Miller Center for Public Affairs. In this video presentation, Whitehead addresses America's increasing ignorance of the constitution, the encroachment of our civil liberties, and ways everyday Americans can make a difference.

Click here to watch.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Is Bragging About Yourself a Crime? Courts Consider the Question for Military Service Fibs

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Federal courts in California and Colorado are grappling with whether the First Amendment protects those who brag or exaggerate about their past, and specifically lie about being war heroes.

At the center of the two cases against men who claimed to have received a U.S. military medal is the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a crime to lie about such claims, even if the liar doesn't intend to profit from the fib, the Washington Post reports.

The Post quotes George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who argues that the Stolen Valor Act raises constitutional questions because it bans bragging or exaggerating about yourself.

"Half the pickup lines in bars across the country could be criminalized under that concept," he said.

But Craig Missakian, a federal prosecutor in California, countered that deliberate lies aren't protected. He also maintains that Congress has the authority to protect the value and worth of military medals.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Denied religious CD, Virginia inmate sues

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. - A Virginia inmate claims in a lawsuit that prison officials violated his right to exercise his religious beliefs when they refused to let him order a sermon on compact disc.

The Rutherford Institute filed the lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Kyle Mabe, who is challenging a Virginia Department of Corrections directive allowing inmates to receive music CDs but not spoken-word CDs. No hearing has been scheduled yet in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.

Larry Traylor, a spokesman for the prison system, said he was not aware of the lawsuit and that he cannot comment on pending litigation. He was also unable to immediately explain the rationale for the department's CD policy.

According to the lawsuit, Mabe tried to order a CD with a Christian sermon titled "Life Without a Cross" from Still Waters Ministries of Kentucky while he was an inmate at St. Brides Correctional Center in Chesapeake last September. He says the sermon was not available in writte...

TRI IN THE NEWS: Charlottesville—Right Now! with Coy Barefoot: John Whitehead

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

John Whitehead joins radio-show host Coy Barefoot. Click here to listen or download.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Supreme Court Turns Away Free-Speech Case

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

From Wings of the Wind
Original article available here.

Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow – 1/25/2010
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to consider another free-speech case involving a school and the reading of the Bible.

The case, which concerns a Pennsylvania mother and child, has been in the courts since 2004. John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute tells OneNewsNow that Donna Bush was invited to attend a special event at kindergarten with her son, Wesley.
“The event was ‘The All About Me Week,” he explains, “which features a student — and the mother would come in and read from their favorite book. Wesley’s favorite book was the Bible.”

TRI IN THE NEWS: Supreme Court Turns Away Free-Speech Case

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

TRI IN THE NEWS: Lies from "War Vet" are Protected Speech, Civil Liberties Group Says

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

From The Denver Post
Original article available here.

Rick Strandlof may have lied about being a decorated Iraq War veteran, but those lies are protected by the First Amendment, according to his attorney and a civil liberties organization.

Strandlof, 32, is charged in U.S. District Court in Denver with five misdemeanors related to violating the Stolen Valor Act — specifically, making false claims about receiving military decorations.

He is accused of posing as "Rick Duncan," a wounded Marine captain who received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. Strandlof used that persona to found the Colorado Veterans Alliance and solicit funds for the organization.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Va. Lawmaker Targets Police Prayer Policy

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From Daily Press
Original article available here.

RICHMOND, Va. - A state legislator is renewing his effort to undo an administrative order requiring Virginia State Police chaplains to deliver non-denominational prayers at official events.

Del. Charles W. Carrico, a retired state trooper, claims the 2008 directive from State Police Superintendent W. Steven Flaherty violates the chaplains' constitutional right to free exercise of religion.

"It's not what our forefathers intended," said Carrico, R-Grayson. He said the order continues a trend of catering to "minority religions" while trampling on the rights of the Christian majority.

TRI IN THE NEWS: John Whitehead named "Worst Person in the World"

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

John Whitehead was named "Worst Person in the World" on the December 14 edition of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Whitehead was bestowed the title after urging Virginia congressman Tom Perriello to relocate his offices to better accommodate constituents' first amendment rights.

Click here to watch.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Whitehead Named ‘Worst Person in the World’ by News Pundit

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From DailyProgress.com
Original article available here.

MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann named Charlottesville-based John W. Whitehead as the “worst person in the world” during his Monday night broadcast.
Whitehead was selected for the superlative insult because he sent a letter last week to U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, urging the freshman congressman to relocate his office to a site where opponents could more easily protest.

The owner of a next-door spa had complained that the frequent protests had started to hurt her business. As a result, police asked protesters - specifically the Thomas Jefferson Area Tea Party and members of the University of Virginia College Republicans - to stay off the office building’s privately owned parking lot and to protest on a nearby sidewalk.
...

TRI IN THE NEWS: Group Urges Perriello to Move Office

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From DailyProgress.com
Original article available here.

The Rutherford Institute, an Albemarle County-based civil liberties group, is urging U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello to move his local office someplace where the congressman’s critics might more easily protest.

Some of Perriello’s conservative opponents — notably the Jefferson Area Tea Party and the University of Virginia’s College Republicans — have been asked to stop protesting in the parking lot in front of Perriello’s district office in the Glass Building in downtown Charlottesville.

The frequently crowded and boisterous rallies by both Perriello supporters and opponents had started to harm the business of a next-door spa and salon called Three Esthetics and Hair Care. As a result, the building’s landlord asked the Charlottesville Police Departmen...

TRI IN THE NEWS: John Whitehead discusses free speech

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

John Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, joins radio host Coy Barefoot to discuss free speech and year-end work at The Rutherford Institute.

Click here to listen.

More episodes are available here.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Merry Whatever

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From Fredericksburg.com
Original article available here.

WE CAN ALL agree that the Christmas season is finally here. Or can we?

What began years ago as an attempt to respect those who don't celebrate the holiday by downplaying Christmas has become an intense cultural battle over words, songs, displays, and "rights." In the process, reason has been left out in the cold.

John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute in Charlottesville provides some examples: After an Oak Hill, Ill., parent complained, the school district decided to cancel all traditional holiday celebrations--including Halloween and Christmas. In some schools, Christmas carols, trees, wreaths, candy canes, and even the colors red and green have been declared verboten.

TRI IN THE NEWS: Supreme court denies high school valedictorian's day in court

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From Examiner.com
Original article available here.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court denied Brittany McComb's petition to be heard regarding her lawsuit against Foothill High School's administration. The school allegedly violated her right to free speech in 2006 when her valedictorian speech was cut short due to her references to Christ.

Reportedly, the school gave some informal guidelines to the three students that were chosen to speak regarding speech content prior to the ceremony. Yet, no specific prohibitions regarding faith related material were ever discussed.

In the aftermath, McCombs enlisted the help of the Rutherford Institute to file the free speech suit. This final denial is the last of a long string of legal decisions that have kept this case in the public ey...

TRI IN THE NEWS: At PVCC, panel debates role of disruptive speech

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From the Daily Progress
Original article available here.

Anti-war protesters try to shout down President George W. Bush at a July 4 naturalization ceremony at Monticello. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouts “You lie!” at Barack Obama during an address by the president to Congress. Angry constituents shout in the faces of their congressmen at health care town halls.

The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech. But does it also guarantee the right to disrupt someone else’s speech or to impede an audience’s ability to listen?

That question was at the crux of a forum Sunday at Piedmont Virginia Community College titled “Free Speech or Disruption: Balancing the Rights to Speak and to Hear.”

TRI IN THE NEWS: School Safety: 'Zero Tolerance' Policies Common Sense?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From ABC News
Original article available here.

Eighth-graders Cassandra and Aliyah Russell of Chicago never imagined they'd be arrested in their school cafeteria, much less for throwing food.

But that's just what happened following lunchtime mayhem last Thursday at the Perspectives Charter Middle School, south of Chicago. More than two dozen students, ages 11 to 15, were rounded up by police, arrested and charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct.

"They took us to jail, fingerprinted us, mugshotted us, or whatever, all because of a food fight...I was arrested. Handcuffs on," 13-year-old Cassandra told ABC News.