Judge Janet Hall could rule as quickly as this weekend in the suit challenging a Connecticut school district's decision to hold graduation ceremonies in a church. Closing arguments on Thursday left the case in her hands with commencment scheduled for June 23 and 24.
After discussing points of the case with lawyers on both sides of the lawsuit, Hall said the issues raised are too complex for her to issue a ruling by today, as she had hoped. Instead, she said she might be able to file a decision over the weekend, or by early next week at the latest.
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Larry Crain, a lawyer with the American Center For Law and Justice, which represents the Enfield school system, gave the town's closing statements. . . .Crain said that church officials have agreed to remove or cover up as many religious symbols as possible to prepare the building for a purely secular activity. The use of the church is only a temporary move and would not blur the Constitutional separation of church and state and doesn't endorse any religious beliefs, Crain said.
Alex Luchenitser…summed up the viewpoints of Americans United and the American Civil Liberties Union, both of which represent the plaintiffs.
Religious symbolism permeates First Cathedral, he said, and this makes the plaintiffs uncomfortable and will still be evident no matter which items church officials cover or remove.
Check back over the weekend for news about the ruling.
