Judge Upholds Navy Man's Right to Witness at State Building
by Allie Martin
March 10, 2005
(AgapePress) - A federal court has ordered officials in Illinois to respect the free-speech rights of a U.S. military reservist who sued to defend his freedom to distribute religious material in public.Last year, Kevin Cantrell, an airline pilot and Naval Reservist, began handing out Christian tracts in the atrium in front of a state building in Chicago. Police stopped him from speaking and distributing the literature, saying he needed to get a "Special Events Request," which he did.
But then the authorities told Cantrell that he had to pay $300 to apply for the "Special Events" permit. He then contacted the Alliance Defense Fund, which sued on his behalf.
ADF attorney Elizabeth Murray says the judge in the case granted a declaratory judgment in favor of Cantrell. She commends the soldier's stand for his personal freedom of speech and religious expression, and notes, "It was important for Kevin to fight this because important First Amendment rights were at stake."
The federal judge who presided over the case agreed, Murray says, that the local policies hindering Cantrell from speaking or distributing his literature in the atrium or outdoor plaza of the state building are unconstitutional. "The state officials were prohibiting religious expression in an area where other expression was permitted," she explains.
"If there's an area that has been traditionally open to the public, such as a park or a sidewalk, there's freedom to engage in expressive activity," the ADF lawyer continues. "And also, if there's an area the government has opened up for expressive activity, they can't single out religious speech and prohibit that."
The judge told Illinois government officials they cannot forbid Cantrell from sharing his faith in a public building. Murray says the Naval Reservist will soon be back at the state building handing out tracts during his lunch breaks.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
