Opinion ID: 1656256
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Religious Speech.

Text: ¶ 29. We also face the question of whether the judge's statements were protected religious speech. Private religious speech is as fully protected under the First Amendment as secular private expression. Capitol Square Review & Advisory Bd. v. Pinette, 515 U.S. 753, 115 S.Ct. 2440, 132 L.Ed.2d 650 (1995), citing Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School Dist., 508 U.S. 384, 113 S.Ct. 2141, 124 L.Ed.2d 352 (1993); Board of Ed. of Westside Community Schools (Dist.66) v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226, 110 S.Ct. 2356, 110 L.Ed.2d 191 (1990); Widmar v. Vincent, 454 U.S. 263, 102 S.Ct. 269, 70 L.Ed.2d 440 (1981); Heffron v. International Soc. for Krishna Consciousness, Inc., 452 U.S. 640, 101 S.Ct. 2559, 69 L.Ed.2d 298 (1981). ¶ 30. The Supreme Court has further stated: Indeed, in Anglo-American history, at least, government suppression of speech has so commonly been directed precisely at religious speech that a free-speech clause without religion would be Hamlet without the prince. Pinette, 515 U.S. at 760, 115 S.Ct. at 2446. ¶ 31. In the case sub judice, Judge Wilkerson framed and supported his opinion and statements with his personal religious beliefs. His letter published in The George County Times, stated that his reason for responding to the story about the California Legislature was the last verse of chapter one of the book of Romans in our HOLY BIBLE. He went further to state that [y]ou need to know as I know that God in Heaven is not pleased with this, and I am sounding the alarm that I, for one, am against it and want our LORD to see and hear me say I am against it. ¶ 32. In his radio interview with PRM, Judge Wilkerson stated that he signed his letter as a Christian man. When the radio announcer observed that Judge Wilkerson based his views on deeply held religious beliefs, Judge Wilkerson responded: Here's where I'm coming from. Now if the Holy Bible's true, the King James Bible, which as a Christian man, I'd say every word from Genesis to Revelation is true, then God didn't put up with it in Sodom and Gomorrah, and that's the part that worries me, you know. ¶ 33. There are millions of citizens who believe Judge Wilkerson's religious views are exactly correct. There are still millions more who find his views insulting. Whether he is right is not the issue here. It is, rather, whether this Court can  consistent with the First Amendment  prevent Judge Wilkerson from publicly stating these religious views. We hold that, under the facts of this case, we cannot.