A federal judge in Arizona ruled last week that a teacher who sued the Peoria Unified School District, claiming it violated her free speech rights by preventing her from reciting scripture during governing board meetings, lacked standing to bring the claim.
The decision is not a complete victory for those who were wanting more concrete answers on if Heather Rooks, a Peoria Unified Governing School Board Member, violated the state and federal constitution—specifically the Establishment Clause. Instead, the case was dismissed based on whether or not Rooks had a viable injury to make the claim in the first place.
Without that decisive judgement, the lawyers representing Rooks have said that while they appeal the decision, she’ll continue using her position to recite scripture during public meetings.