Texas pays over $358K to end lawsuit over atheist group’s Bill of Rights ‘nativity’ scene

August 9, 2024

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has finally been reimbursed for its attorneys’ fees by the state of Texas after winning a federal lawsuit over an atheist “nativity” display.

According to the Christian Post, Texas paid more than $358,000 in in attorneys’ fees and costs following a federal appeals court ruling in favor of the FFRF last year after years of litigation.

In 2015, the atheist group had placed a display at the State Capitol featuring three founding fathers and the Statue of Liberty standing over a copy of the Bill of Rights.

Governor Greg Abbott had ordered the removal of the display, calling it a “juvenile parody” of the Christmas Nativity which was found elsewhere on the Capitol grounds.

In a letter to the Texas State Preservation Board, Abbott wrote: “The Constitution does not require Texas to allow displays in its Capitol that violate general standards of decency and intentionally disrespect the beliefs and values of many of our fellow Texans. Far from promoting morals and the general welfare, the exhibit deliberately mocks Christians and Christianity.”

FFRF filed a lawsuit in 2016 and U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks issued a ruling partly in favor of the group, saying the removal of the display constituted viewpoint discrimination.

In January 2023, a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the state of Texas did, “violate the First Amendment by excluding the Foundation’s exhibit from a limited public forum.”  

Photo: top, Credit: Screengrab/YouTube/WCPO.com