United States Seventh Circuit

In a suit brought by two sheriff deputies under 18 U.S.C. section 1983 alleging a violation of the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment when the sheriff invited a Christian group to speak at a number of mandatory employee meetings, grant of plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment on the Establishment Clause claim is affirmed as the religious group's presentations during mandatory employee gatherings gave, at the least, the appearance of endorsement by the sheriff's department, and thus, defendants violated the Establishment Clause.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/04/2009
• Published 12/04/2009

Judges

• WILLIAMS, Circuit Judge., Before BAUER, CUDAHY, and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Louis R. Cohen, Wilmer Hale LLP, Washington, DC, for Americans United Separation of Church and State, Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Jonathan Cermele (argued), Cermele & Associates, Milwaukee, WI, Linda S. Vanden Heuvel, Vanden Heuvel & Dineen, S.C., Germantown, WI, for Plaintiffs-Appellees., James R. Scott (argued), Lindner & Marsack, Milwaukee, WI, for Defendants-Appellants.