The U.S. Supreme Court has decided against hearing a case out of Manchester, Connecticut.
In 2003, Full Gospel Interdenominational Church in Manchester was sued for displaying religious items in a small post office it operates. Bertram Cooper, a Jewish resident, sued the church because he said he was so uncomfortable with the Christian displays, that he stopped using the post office called “Sincerely Yours” even though its location was most convenient for him.
The issue was one concerning separation of church and state – whether a government operation should be associated with religion. In August 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Cooper deciding that the post office had to remove all religious items from its counter even though it also displayed a sign saying that the U.S. Postal Service does not endorse the religious viewpoint expressed.
The ban applied only to “Sincerely Yours,” and did not extend to all contract postal units, or CPU), which are add-on post offices at small businesses or establishments.
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The case then went all the way up to the highest court in the country, but it stopped there on Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected it. The U.S. Supreme Court only hears about 1 percent of the cases it receives each year. – constitutionfacts.com
Andrew Schneider, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut stated in a press release that he is happy with the court's decision.
“We are pleased that the Supreme Court left intact previous rulings that held that religious outreach is out of place at a postal counter,” he said. “Religious liberty is best protected when the government or those acting as governmental agents remain neutral on matters of faith.”
