Arrested Development

While Time magazine recommends putting the Bible back in classrooms, a Florida principal refuses to allow it even near the school.

A few months ago, we reported on the case of two Gideons who were arrested for distributing the Good Book on the sidewalk near Key Largo School. Our friends at Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) successfully defeated the trespassing charges only to find that the case isn’t closed. Having failed to convict them on their first try, school officials are now prosecuting the men under a different statute.

They claim the men violated a law that calls for people within 500 feet of a school to have “prior authorization” or have “legitimate business.” As ADF argues, how does one define “legitimate business?”

Is anyone who uses the sidewalk guilty of a walking violation? Obviously, Key Largo School is desperate to convict the men.

However, with the First Amendment on the Gideons’ side, I would hope that this principal will have a difficult time in court if she insists on being the neighborhood bully.

Tony Perkins heads the Family Research Council. This article is excerpted from the Washington Update that he compiles for the FRC.