Lawrence, MA - United States District Judge Allison D. Burroughs granted final judgement in favor of Liberty Counsel's federal lawsuit against the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts, for its public library's unconstitutional denial of access for programs with religious content.
Lawrence Public Library Meeting Room will rewrite its discriminatory policy: "Religious groups may use the Library's meeting rooms for administrative purposes but shall not be allowed use for the sake of proselytizing...or otherwise influencing people to a particular belief or point of view."
The Library's Mission Statement states, "The freedom to pursue knowledge is a foundation of our democracy....[T]he Library exists to preserve the free development and expression of ideas essential for an informed citizenry."
"The courts have struck down countless attempts by local government bodies to remove religion from the public arena," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Public libraries are a marketplace of ideas, and governments cannot censor religion from the marketplace."
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
