Do the county officials really think that they will prevail in a lawsuit? Or are they are well aware that they will lose but can say “Re-elect us as we stood up for your religious freedoms against the atheists”?
@Patrick, it appears that the local officials decided to double down!
I’m neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet but I foresee major legal bills—and perhaps resulting property tax hikes—in Jacinto County’s future.
POSTSCRIPT: I assume that there will eventually be a Jacinto County resident coming forward to contact FFRF so as to become the litigant.
Here is how it is going to go. A citizen of Jacinto County, who may be a Christian or not, is going to file a civil rights injunction to a Federal judge in Texas that the elected County officials and the Attorney General of the State of Texas are favoring their version of Christianity over all others and are endorsing a brand of Christianity that will give the appearance of biases against non-Christians. This will be a first amendment complaint as such the Judge will have to grant the injunction, the crosses will have to come down and the plaintiffs legal bills will have to be paid. They will appeal to the Court of Appeals where the injunction will be upheld. More legal bill to Plaintiff. Finally an appeal to Supreme Court who will decline to hear case. Crosses will come down in the dark of night. Christians will hold vigils in front of the court house. FFRF has been down this road before many times, it will take 3 years and about $600,000. All paid by the county taxes. County officials will get re-elected for standing up to the heretic atheist from Wisconsin.
Probably so. I wonder at what point in that process will disgraced Alabama judge Roy Moore bring his traveling road show to Jacinto County to play to the press and adoring crowds.
If an Islamic crescent moon was illuminated in the courthouse windows, I think this might go differently. For that matter, imagine if a Roman Catholic style crucifix was hung in those four windows. I think the predominantly Protestant county residents would respond differently.
Tribalism is a powerful force.
It is probably in the works.
That is why it is important to pick the right Plaintiff here. Right now the ACLU, AU, and FFRF are working to do this correctly. I am certain that they will file under the name of John Doe because a key aspect of this case will be that the Plaintiff will be pillaged by the angry mob of Christians. They will ask the court for anonymity of the Plaintiff because the Plaintiff will be afraid of reprisals.