Media Advisory
For Immediate Release
(Atlanta, GA, May 15, 2018)—The American Humanist Association’s senior counsel will present oral arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia in response to the City of Pensacola’s appeal of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida’s decision that the City’s giant cross displayed on City grounds violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
When: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Where: Courtroom 339, Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building, 56 Forsyth Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia
Panel: The Hon. Kevin C. Newsom, The Hon. Frank M. Hull, and C. Ashley Royal (Macon, Georgia District Judge sitting by designation)
Who: Monica Miller, senior counsel at the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center, will present the oral argument on behalf of the Plaintiffs-Appellees.
Why: The American Humanist Association, along with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, filed for summary judgment in April of 2017 on behalf of local residents, arguing that the City of Pensacola’s large cross, maintained by the City in a City park, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The District Court ruled against the City on June 19, 2017 and the City appealed a month later. Plaintiffs-Appellants’ brief can be found here.
More Information: Members of the press who would like more information should contact David Niose, 202-238-9088, dniose@americanhumanist.org, or Monica Miller, 202-238-9088 ext.120, mmiller@americanhumanist.org
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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.