April, 13 2010, 03:51pm EDT
Indiana High School Student Fighting Graduation Prayer Tradition
When
18-year-old Eric Workman was asked to vote on whether or not to have a
student-led prayer at his high school graduation ceremony, it didn't
sit right.
WASHINGTON
When
18-year-old Eric Workman was asked to vote on whether or not to have a
student-led prayer at his high school graduation ceremony, it didn't
sit right.
On March 11, 2010, the ACLU of Indiana filed suit on Eric's behalf challenging the constitutionality
of Greenwood High School's practice of having its seniors vote to have
a graduation prayer. According to the lawsuit, students at the high
school were asked to fill out a questionnaire on whether or not
students wanted a prayer. When the majority of students checked the box
for prayer, Eric contacted the ACLU of Indiana to prevent that from
happening.
Eric,
who happens to be the valedictorian of his class, does not believe that
anyone should involuntarily be subjected to prayer and religious
beliefs. The case, Workman v. Greenwood Community School Corporation, argues
that both the prayer and process of allowing students to vote on
whether or not to have a prayer violates the First Amendment.
"You
can't have a vote whether or not to violate somebody's constitutional
rights," says ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk. "It just doesn't
work that way."
As the valedictorian, Eric plans to attend and speak at his graduation ceremony, which is scheduled to take place May 28.
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Kari Lake, a far-right election denier and failed U.S. Senate candidate, to lead the federally funded international broadcast network Voice of America, a move that critics said underscores Trump's effort to transform government entities into vehicles to advance his own interests.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that as director of VOA, Lake would "ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media."
Lake, a former television news anchor in Arizona who has echoed Trump's insidious attacks on journalists, wrote in response to the president-elect's announcement that she was "honored" to be asked to lead VOA, which she characterized as "a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth." VOA, which is supposed to have editorial independence, has long faced criticism for its coverage and treatment of employees.
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