Virginia School Board Sued Over Ten Commandments

Dispatches from the church-and-state front:

• Ten Commandments: Civil liberties groups have sued the school board in Giles County, Virginia, demanding that a Ten Commandments plaque be removed from a high school hallway. The board says it's simply part of a display of historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, but the federal lawsuit by the ACLU and others calls that a "sham" excuse and says the plaque is up "with the primary aim of advancing religion," reports the Roanoke Times.

• Classroom banners: A federal appeals court has ruled against a teacher in San Diego who put up big banners in his classroom with phrases like "In God We Trust" and "God Bless America." Math teacher Bradley Johnson sued after a principal ordered him to take down the banners, calling them the "promotion of a particular viewpoint." Johnson won his first court battle, arguing that his 1st Amendment rights had been violated, but he lost yesterday's appeal in federal court, reports the Los Angeles Times.

(More Ten Commandments stories.)