HELLERTOWN, Pa. — A federal district court issued a preliminary injunction today, ordering the Saucon Valley School District (SVSD) to allow the After School Satan Club (ASSC) to meet in district facilities. The emergency injunction comes after the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Dechert LLP filed a lawsuit in March on behalf of The Satanic Temple (TST), which sponsors the club. In its decision, the court ruled that the district likely violated the First Amendment when it bowed to public pressure by revoking approval for the club to hold meetings at the Saucon Valley Middle School. The district had previously admitted that, under the U.S. Constitution, it “cannot discriminate among groups wishing to use the SVSD facilities.” In the ruling, Judge John M. Gallagher held that the district’s decision to deny the ASSC access to school facilities “was based on The Satanic Temple’s controversial views on religion and the community’s negative reactions thereto.” This motivation, the court explained, is incompatible with the First Amendment: “When confronted with a challenge to free speech, the government’s first instinct must be to forward expression rather than quash it. Particularly when the content is controversial or inconvenient. Nothing less […]
