KOUNTZE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT V. MATTHEWS (TEXAS APPELLATE COURT, 9TH DISTRICT, 2013)

In this case cheerleaders at Kountze High School, a public high school in Texas, displayed large run-through banners with biblical quotes on them at school football games. After a spectator complained about the religious messages, the high school principal temporarily barred the cheerleaders from displaying the banners, and the cheerleaders filed a lawsuit. ADL filed an amicus brief in the case arguing that the banners violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, constituting an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by a public school.