Federal Judge Prohibits Prayer at Texas Graduation Ceremony

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Conservative Byte

A federal judge has ordered a Texas school district to prohibit public prayer at a high school graduation ceremony.

Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery’s order against the Medina Valley Independent School District also forbids students from using specific religious words including “prayer” and “amen.”

The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by Christa and Danny Schultz. Their son is among those scheduled to participate in Saturday’s graduation ceremony. The judge declared that the Schultz family and their son would “suffer irreparable harm” if anyone prayed at the ceremony.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the school district is in the process of appealing the ruling, and his office has agreed to file a brief in their support.

“Part of this goes to the very heart of the unraveling of moral values in this country,” Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott told Fox News Radio, saying the judge wanted to turn school administrators into “speech police.”

Continue Reading on www.foxnews.com ...

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  • TJ

    Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery’s order against the Medina Valley Independent School District was just overturned. Yea!

    • Randy131

      The reference to religion in the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution states, “Congress (Federal) shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF;”. Young American students saying a prayer at their own graduation, voluntarily, is not Congress respecting an establishment of religion, but preventing them from doing so is prohibiting the free exercise of their religion. This judge who cannot understand this, is either to stupid to be a judge, or has a hidden agenda to destroy religion in this country, and therefore should never have been a judge in the first place. The people need to recall or impeach this judge, or whatever it takes to get rid of him, before he violates any other rights of the American people guaranteed them by the US Constitution, something this judge took and oath to protect.

      • Bea

        Students: tweet at the appointed time and everyone break into “The Lord’s Prayer”.
        In mass; one voice; go for it!!
        (Principle will say ‘no cell phones’ in the graduation hall; so get a time established; or take ‘em anyway).

      • DASmith

        Absolutely!! I would really like to know what he was thinking of when he stated that certain people would suffer “irreparable” harm?!? This man (Biery) will have to answer to the Real Judge–the One who will judge the “living and the dead” at His coming!!

      • Edwin Mack

        Randy131:

        Suggest you and ALL citizens you can get do all you can to get this judge thrown out of the position of federal judge for HE has proven he does NOT belong there. If you don’t do something now he will do it again and it is wrong. This type of thing has happened before and we have never heard what the results were. This should be splashed all over the country so everyone knows what he is. Good luck!

    • http://www.reformdc.com nax777

      Separate the people from the parties so that the parties are just a shell and see how quick overturns are handed out.
      It is irrational to think that any single payer social program will work. It is irrational for nations to tax its way out of poverty. It is irrational to help overpopulated poorer nations by becoming one. It is irrational to believe that a power convinced that you have nowhere else to go will do your biding.

      A true Conservative and a true Liberal agree on one thing though for different reasons. Any single payer social program is a nutty idea! Now each believes that it’s not so nutty as long as their side is managing it. Pubs and Dems call rational people cruel, heartless nut cases. Rational and irrational also no longer hold true meaning.

      Replace the powers with citizens that can be immediately removed by citizens and never serve for a life time. We must take control ourselves. Please join with us at Goooh.com you might be able to click on my name. This will take you to my link page that links to Goooh.com, NumbersUSA.com and SBA-list.org.

      P.S. Have you heard of “you cut” @ http://majorityleader.gov/YouCut/

    • james shelton

      Now some people need to get together and overturn Biery and the Shultz family.
      We had a similar incident here where the family was advised to leave the area in two week or stop runnunig their mouth. No more problems have surfaced.
      Just as an aside many of us have been using the oil from Pork fat to lube our gun barrels and reloaders. Works very well. Keeps the knives and bayonets from rusting as well. Just don’t use bacon grease it contains a bit of salt and can be smelled by a sensitive nose.

    • Anna Salerno

      Let me guess the judge was a Liberal Dumacrap!!

  • Gene

    Come on Texas,
    Grab this libro-commie judge by the neck and drown him!

    • Gary Garrett

      You cannot drown him ,that would be against the law.
      Thomas Jefferson said that the second amendment was also to protect us against an out of control govt.
      So a bullet is the ONLY way to rid this country of politicians and feds. that are “OUT OF CONTROL”
      No one can argue that the present administration is “OUT OF CONTROL, fed judges included.
      NO one can make a law that says that is against the law to eliminate any govt. person who is out of control??

      • Mike N

        I would strongly suggest you watch your language. FBI or Secret Service might decide to pay you a visit. While I understand your frustration as I share it too…the only way we will get rid of the politicians is at the election booth in November 2012. As far as the judge, he has a lifetime appointment and the only way we can change the federal judiciary is by electing a Conservative Republican to the Presidency who will appoint “Original Intent” followers of the Constitution. Also we have to elect Conservative Republicans to the Senate so they can be confirmed. This is another reason why we have to be unified against Obama and the Liberal Democrats in November. I was watching Hannity tonight and a person I have held in the highest esteem and would have even supported her for the Presidency, Sarah Palin said the dumbest, stupidest thing. She said a year ago she had no doubts about supporting a Republican for President but is now thinking a third party might be a possibility. My God, what is the matter with Trump (who also said he might consider a third party race) and Palin. Don’t they realize the best hope Obamanation has for reelection is splitting the Conservate vote. I have lost all respect for both of them. Celebrity has gone to both their heads. We as a country can not afford 4 more years of Obama!!!

        • dfrank

          Good Lord, I hope somebody can get to that lady in a hurry. Only Obama could be happy about that.

    • james

      This is Texas now — tie him between two horses and turn them loose.
      Drowning him would just pollute the water supply.

  • chuck sanborn

    On the other hand, if someone wanted to kneel down in Muslik prayer there would not be one word from the legal side!! What a bunch of Horse Sh**!!

    • evermyrtle

      Of course they can close a whole street dow while they kneel and pray, that is encouraged. Just don’t let Christians try it!!!

  • BobinPa.

    Federal Judge my Azz, This Phoney POS is just another one of the Kenyan Mu-sl-im-s Minions. Remember his name when the TRUTH comes out about the “IMPOSTER” in the Peoples House.

    • Friend of John Wayne

      BobinPa. your right. Hang this judge when they hang this ovomit bastard.

  • Ron

    Another one of Obo’s cronies that needs to be removed from his bench.Did he swear on the BIBLE when he took his seat?Isn’t he perjuring himself.GOD BLESS AMERICA & God Bless all TRUE BELIEVERS.When will this lunacy end?

    • evermyrtle

      AMEN!!!!

  • Duane Karjala

    This ruling is unconstitutional. The federal government shall not prohibit the free exercise of religion.

  • T-Partier

    You want religion to be taught in PUBLIC SCHOOLS? So they can screw THAT up, too?

    The judge is RIGHT!

    If anyone want to pray they can pray while not representing the Government!

    • Walter

      You must be a closet, liberal dumocrat………..how can you even use the phrase T-Partier as your ID?? You oppose this individual saying prayer in regard to his own beliefs, yet you probably think it okay when muslim retards clog streets by the thousands during rush hour for their damnable prayers to some Allah of their choosing………..hell, they should all be arrested and deported for obstructing traffic, for unlawful gatherings and whatever else could be thought up. You are a disgrace to anything the real tea party folks stand for. Idiots like you are the reason for the problems we are facing today. If you don’t like America……..get the hell out!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • JD

        The awesome thing is that this moronic, obviously unconstitutional ban was reversed at the last minute. God bless them for standing up for the Truth and refusing to be oppressed by one whining agnostic lad who sadly/apparently has not yet met Jesus. I’m praying for you kid:-}

        • dfrank

          It probably wasn’t the student who brought this about. In these kinds of situations it is almost always a parent using their child to make some kind of statement. Probably the only real friends the young man has (or had) were his classmates. And, now just think of the uncomfortable and embarrassing position he’s been put in, and at a time that should be one of the most joyful and exciting occasions of his life.

          People who use there children like that (if that was indeed the case) should be charged with child abuse. It is almost certain that he approached that graduation ceremony with a very heavy heart. And, if his parents were behind it, they should really be ashamed. I can’t imagine a parent being so uncaring about their child’s feelings.

          It’s not as if, a prayer would have been directed in some kind of insulting or disparaging way toward some object or personage which he reveres: If, as is reported, he either does not believe in God or is uncertain, there is no object there to be denigrated, and he could have just gone with the flow like he has probably done numerous times before and enjoyed a gala event with his friends.

          It was just a parent thing — proving it doesn’t take much to be a parent. Too bad parents can not be impeached.

    • Anna

      These graduates are not representing the government…The government is butting in to their private ceremony.

    • armyvet

      Graduating students saying a prayer are not representing the Government, only themselves. If that set of parents & student don’t wish to participate, they do not have to. No one will make a law saying they have to, like the Judge is trying to make saying they can’t.

    • evermyrtle

      WHERE DO YOU GET THAT FROM? The constitution says the government is not interfere wiht our religion. Are you in the boat with Oslander?

    • http://www.blackindependent.wordpress.com Stephen Frazier

      That is true, but it is also true that if yo udon’t want to participate in the prayer you don’t have to. I have as much right to practice as you not to participate.

      If someone has to give up something, why me? why not you? What makes YOU so special?
      I long for the good old days when the kids on the playground made mincemeat out of the one wet blanket in the group who refuses to leave it.

  • Bud MacGuire

    Congress, if it had the guts to do it, could staighten this out very easily with an amendment to the constitution.

    • http://www.blackindependent.wordpress.com Stephen Frazier

      Congress can only present the proposed amendment to the states. There are not enough true American patriots in this country to ratify such an amendment , since thirty seven states must ratify.

      The only way America will get back to it’s former greatness and future promise of greatness is for us to endure an economic chaos that will bring the nation to a standstill, and by the process of attrition divide itself into red and blue states.

      After a decade (just one is all it should take) the blue states will be so desperate that they will be sneaking across the red state borders “just trying to provide for their families”, and we will send them all (anchors included) to what are sanctuary cities and liberal welfare enclaves like Detroit, Philly, Chi-Town, Cleveland, San Francisco, Gary, New York.

      The red states, all having defacto seceded, will not be restricted by progressive judges and politicians and there will be no public housing, Medicaid, Affirmative Action, ACLU NAACP, KKK or unfunded federal mandates.

      Hey. I can dream, can’t I?

  • mike

    Is anyone think we need a conservative filling judgeships rather than marxist-socialist redistribution. Athiests?

    • http://www.blackindependent.wordpress.com Stephen Frazier

      I would prefer Osama Bin Laden to an atheist. At least Bin Laden belied in something higher than himself.

  • John

    If the student was muslim, she could kneel down and block traffic and interfer with commercial commerce and nothing would be done. However, since she is Christian, she is fair game for the liberal crowd. We absolutely won WW2 and we had school prayer, reading of a Bible passage, and had the Pledge Of Allegiance in our schools. Once the liberal influence came into our schools, we have not absolutely won a war since 1961.
    Prayer in school, a Bible passage and The Pledge Of Allegiance ruined countless thousands upon thousands of lives or so the liberal and athesists believe. The cna believe anything they want and it’s ok but when a Christian wants to present his/her belief, it is forbidden and consequently against a federal law. The law needs to be changed and I hope that a new President and newer Congress has the termity and stature to change offensive anti-Christian laws. After all, they were passed by a loud minority within the american public.

    • David in MA

      “Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion”
      In this case, “establishment” has been misconstrued,
      it does NOT mean to create a religion, modify, name, etc.,
      it means the INSTITUTION OF RELIGION,
      OR THE ENTITY OF RELIGION.
      do you get it?

  • David in MA

    Students should just spontainiously break into a prayer
    at a pre-arranged moment and the judge be dammed.
    All it would take is a small number to start it and the rest would follow suit…

    • Anna

      Yes! Love this!

    • http://www.blackindependent.wordpress.com Stephen Frazier

      Every kid in school would participate if this were about saving whales, trees or snail darters, but you can’t make me believe there are a DOZEN such students with the guts to do this.

      Were it not for what I see in our military people I would think this country has no future at all if the young people will be in charge of it.

      But that’s the way it is already. Right?

    • Friend of John Wayne

      Tell this judge -GO TO HELL!

  • voldemort

    Expel the kid and his parents.

    • Anna

      ABSOLUTELY!

      • RichardeL

        AMEN!!!

  • Sallie

    ‘Irreparable harm’ my a$$!!!! That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard!! That student and his parents just need to stay home. Why ruin it for everyone else?!?!

    • dfrank

      Irreparable harm just might have occurred now, as a result of his parent’s actions. Real parents don’t put their children in this kind of situation.

  • Dan

    What I don’t understand we have to put up with the Phelps family disrespecting our fallen military because of the 1st Amendment but we can’t pray at a graduation ceremony because that will cause irreparable damage to some atheist. What about the damage done to the family of the fallen military member. I can’t understand why saying a prayer forces anyone to join a particular religion or cause the government to establish a national religion. A prayer is said at the start of a session of Congress. We put our hand on the bible to take an oath. We need to fix this problem. The courts are wrong the constitution
    doesn’t say we can’t talk about religion or say
    prayers all it says we can’t create a national
    religion so how dies saying a prayer establish a
    national religion. I think it’s just the atheist who
    are so embarrassed because they can’t convince christians and Jews that there is no GOD and they can’t stand the thought that they are wrong which they are. We need to reverse the courts decision that have been pushing us to a Godless country before it’s to late. The only way we can make this country great again is for it to be blessed by God. We’ve been going downhill since we stopped being a Judeo/Christian nation and until we reverse it we will not be blessed.

    • StoneSatellite

      I agree. Why would our Heavenly Father bless a nation that murders His children in the womb? Of all God’s creations, His children are His greatest glory.

  • http://None Ben F.

    Pray anyhow, can’t lock everyone up, and draw a crowd to pray with you and screw the judge and her idiot laws.

    • evermyrtle

      BEN, SOUNDS LIKE A WINNER, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I SHALL DO. AIN’T NOBODY GOING TO TELL ME HOW TO THINK OR PREVENT ME FROM PARAYING EVEN “IN JESUS NAME” THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO PRAY!!!

  • Larry

    The Atheist have infiltrated the legal system and have now become Judges that are destroying this country the same way that this SOB Barrack Obama has. The lawyers in the American Civil Liberty’s Union law firm are a combination of the Atheist and communist people that have taken over two many of the Law Offices and need to be shown the way out of this country so maybe we should send them all to the middle east where they will be liked as the pigs they are. These Judges need to be taken down from the bench for there action of not allowing freedom of speech and that includes to pray if we dam well want to it is time to show these stupid bastards the door to leave this country if they don’t like our laws and rules

  • michael

    Christa and Danny Schultz’s son should be excluded! 1 person out of many can take all the others joy away! A bunch of crap if you ask me!

  • PISSED OFF PATRIOT

    the Graduating kids should break out in prayer as LOUD as they can shout, then see what the police do? before the ceremony begins call the local papers and radio news stations to the fact that the kids are going to stand together and pray , let’s see them arrest the entire graduating class, guess what it’s not going to happen ! more liberal bulls***

  • Giovanni Francesco

    I bet if the Judge or Christina and Danny Schultz had a child take a bullet in the head…
    The very first thing they would say is…”OMG”
    Thats bad…Thats bad… you can’t say that in public we will arrest you!
    “Suffer Irepparable Damage” my ass…
    And I say AMEN to that!

  • http://None Ben F.

    Someone needs to go to her office and pray for her, might be the only thing in life to give her hope?

  • Wendell Turner

    What about the rights and “irrepairable harm” to the hundreds that would like to pray at the graduation. Majority rule died a long time ago in trying to be “politically correct” for a few. Let them cover their ears for 2 minutes!!!!!

  • Erik Osbun

    Get out the tar and feathers folks. Tie up the bailiff and invade the judges chambers to start the party!

    • Friend of John Wayne

      Rock on!
      By the way, make the tar hot.

  • Erik Osbun

    What right does a Federal judge have to interfere with a local graduation ceremony? Did he fund the thing or something?

  • Sherman (Like the tank)

    I recently heard of another school where the “powers to be” decided there would be no Religious references included in the Graduation exercise. Warnings were posted, letters were sent home to parents and speakers planned for the ceremony were warned not to present any aspect of faith based suggestion to their speeches. There were screams of protest at parent meetings,prior tho the evening of graduation, and the school officials would not budge.

    The evenings ceremony went as requested until the young woman walked to the podium to giver her speech. As representative of the class it was upon her to present the students reflection of High School, and what it meant to her. She spoke for about 10 minutes and followed instructions to the letter. Nervous officials sat behind her holding their collective breaths as she was well known as a active Christian throughout the school, and officials were weary of her giving the commencement speech.

    A murmur of anticipation swept over the student body as she walked to the Microphone. She spoke clearly and concise. She completed the talk, and you could visibly see the officials relax in their chairs. As she prepared to leave the mike and return to her seat on the stage, she paused only a second, and politely placed a handkerchief over her nose and sneezed. The entire graduating class (every student) stood in unison, and shouted to the top of their lungs. “GOD BLESS YOU.”

    The crowd of parents and friends stood and cheered the boldness and courage of the entire graduating class. The School Superintendent tried without success to regain control of the exercise, but was left yelling into a microphone that might as well been off for over 10 minutes. Even bold members of the teachers staff were seen cheering. The students hugged and many held up bibles they had carried down the isle.

    I was surprised and proud that somehow, and entire class of young graduates has managed to keep what happened secret until the event actually happened.

    The Bible tells us that if every tongue were stilled in telling about Jesus Christ, the very stones themselves would sing his praises. Never let anyone tell you have no right to show your faith, in school or anywhere else. Take a lesson from out children and show a little civic disorder, and bless others with your strength.

    • Friend of John Wayne

      You might have Christ standing next to you!
      Then what would these liberals do then hang him the second time.
      I don’t think sooooooooooooooo!

    • DASmith

      Very Good!! Saul of Tarsus (before he was struck down by the light of the Lord) was on his way to Damascus with “…authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Your name.” ( Acts 9:14). “Indicating that in the early days calling upon the Lord’s name was a sign of the Lord’s followers (1Cor 1:2). This calling must have been audible, so that others could hear; thus it became a sign.(Recovery Version note 1 on Acts 9:14). It’s so good to call out to the Lord, as they also did in the Old Testament (see Psalms). The Lord is “rich to all who call upon Him”! (R0m 10:12)

    • evermyrtle

      ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL RESPONSE TO IDIOT ANTI-GOD PEOPLE.
      IF WE DON’T TAKE A STAND WE ARE LOST, AS A COUNTRY. IF WE DON’T WANT GOD, GOD WILL NOT FORCE HIS WAY ON US. HE WILL LET US STAND ALONE, OR WITH SATAN BY OUR SIDES, IF THAT IS WHAT WE WANT.

  • http://adrianvance.blogspot.com Adrian Vance

    I didn’t know they had a snake down there that injects LSD. That guy is from another planet. And, in Texas? My God, nowhere is safe from the damn Federales.

    For political analysis,physical science and humor see The Two Minute Conservative at: http://adrianvance.blogspot.com Now on Kindle.

  • Mick

    You know what the muslims do when anyone disagrees with them? They burn his house down and destroy his business. Turn about is fair play. Why not do it to them? Why not burn down the houses of these radical judges and and destroy their income base? If that doesn’t work just burn them at the stake or chop off their heads just the muslims do to Christians and Jews.

    • evermyrtle

      YES, YES AND AMEN!!

  • PISSED OFF PATRIOT

    LIBERAL SCUM !!!!

  • gravedigger

    know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan

  • http://conservativebyte.com DOC Freeman

    Had there been overt half of the students and their parents requested that saying a prayer, amen, in the name of not be said or done then I could see where there would have been a real need for court orders. When you have one child and his parents asking and the other wanting to allow the current program to continue as always, then this nothing but progressive/liberal movement gone amuck. The progressive/liberal movement is the cause of all our countries’ problems. It started back in the 1962 with Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Of course she was not the only one, but she is considered the main person of the court ruling prayer could not be said in schools.

    SAT Total Scores in the 1960′s 980 down to 900 2010

    CASES OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES from approx. 375 to over 1000 per population 1960′s to date

    PREGNANCIES TO UNWED GIRLS under 15 years of age from approx 4% to over 26% of Live Births/Abortions from 1960′s to date

    VIOLENT CRIME: Number of Offenses in the millions .2% up to 1.7% from 1960′s to date

    Madalyn Murray O’Hair (April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995) was an American atheist activist, and founder of the organization American Atheists and its president from 1963 to 1986. One of her sons, Jon Garth Murray, was the president of the organization from 1986 to 1995, while she remained de facto president during these nine years[citation needed].
    She is best known for the Murray v. Curlett lawsuit, which led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling ending government sponsored prayer in American public schools. O’Hair later founded American Atheists and became so controversial that in 1964 Life magazine referred to her as “the most hated woman in America.”[1][2]
    In 1995 she was kidnapped and murdered, along with her son (Jon) and granddaughter (her son William’s daughter whom she had adopted making her both daughter and grand daughter), by a member of the organization, David Roland Waters.[3]

    William J. Murray is the chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., active on issues related to aiding Christians in Islamic and Communist nations.
    William is the son of Madalyn Murray O’Hair,[1] an United States atheist activist who came to national attention in Baltimore, Maryland when she filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of the United States, saying that compulsory prayer and reading of the Bible in schools was unconstitutional.
    Murray converted to Baptist Christianity in 1980. His mother reportedly stated, upon learning of his conversion, “One could call this a postnatal abortion on the part of a mother, I guess; I repudiate him entirely and completely for now and all times … he is beyond human forgiveness.”[2] He felt similarly negative toward her in his first book, My Life Without God, as he made allegations such as: “She was just evil … She misused the trust of people. She cheated children out of their parents’ inheritance.”[3] Bill also repudiated his mother upon the occasion of her death, saying “I used to ask people to pray for my mother’s salvation. I don’t do that anymore…. My mother was an evil person.”[2]
    William J. Murray is the author of several books including Let Us Pray and The Church Is Not For Perfect People. His most recent book is The Pledge: One Nation Under God, for which the foreword, “A Washington, DC insider”, was written by Congressman

    • evermyrtle

      Wonderful post, Doc Freeman!!!

  • Henry

    This Judge will burn in HELL and he should !!!

  • kermit dupre

    Now everyone knows why I don’t support public education, it sucks. I still have my New Testiment book handed to me in the sixth grade, in a public school. I still have my Fifth Grade him book given to my fifth grade class. Public education back then ment something, you had to make the grade to pass and that ment a lot of prayers for me.