"Satan loves the First Amendment" banner lawsuit allowed to proceed against Broward schools
TALLAHASSEE -- A federal judge this week allowed a lawsuit to move forward against the Broward County School Board over its refusal to allow banners that said "Satan Loves the First Amendment" at two schools.
Activist Timothy "Chaz" Stevens, a minister of The Church of Satanology and Perpetual Soiree, filed the lawsuit alleging violations of the First Amendment and two Florida laws.
The school board filed a motion to dismiss the case, but U.S. District Judge Robert Scola on Thursday issued an 11-page order that allowed Stevens to pursue the First Amendment claim and a claim under a state law known as the Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
A trial is scheduled March 10. Stevens in October 2023 requested to put the banners at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and West Glades Middle School, but the school board later rejected the requests, Scola wrote.
The order said the school board between December 2023 and September 2024 allowed religious organizations, such as Calvary Chapel and Potter's House, to display banners at West Glades Middle School and Coral Springs High School. Stevens alleges "unequal treatment," Scola wrote.
