Lehigh County Appeal Brief
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Case: 17-3581 Document: 003112873682 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/12/2018 No. 17-3581 United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION, ET AL., Plaintiffs-Appellees, V. THE COUNTY OF LEHIGH, Defendant-Appellant. On Appeal from the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, No. 5:16-cv-04504 (Hon. Edward G. Smith) Brief of Defendant-Appellant Lehigh County ERIC S. BAXTER JOSEPH C. DAVIS DIANA M. VERM The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 955-0095 [email protected] Counsel for Defendant-Appellant Case: 17-3581 Document: 003112873682 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/12/2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF AUTHORITIES .............................................................................. iii JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT ..................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES ......................................................................... 2 STATEMENT OF RELATED CASES ................................................................ 3 STATEMENT OF THE CASE ............................................................................ 4 A. Religious influences in Lehigh County’s history. ............................... 24 B. Lehigh County’s Seal .......................................................................... 30 C. This lawsuit ......................................................................................... 34 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT ................................................................. 37 ARGUMENT ...................................................................................................... 39 I. FFRF and its members lack standing because their alleged injuries are not legally and judicially cognizable. .................................... 39 II. Lehigh County’s seal complies with the Establishment Clause ............... 42 A. The Supreme Court has abandoned Lemon ......................................... 44 B. Under Town of Greece and Van Orden, practices that were accepted by the Framers are consistent with the Establishment Clause .......................................................................... 49 1. Town of Greece confirms that the image of a cross on Lehigh County’s seal complies with the Establishment Clause ..................................................................... 49 i Case: 17-3581 Document: 003112873682 Page: 3 Date Filed: 03/12/2018 2. Town of Greece further extends Van Orden’s history-driven approach to static imagery like Lehigh County’s seal ...................................................................... 52 C. Alternatively, as applied by this Court, Lemon also confirms that Lehigh County’s seal complies with the Establishment Clause .................................................................... 58 1. The Lemon “endorsement” test favors Lehigh County ................................................................................ 59 2. The full Lemon test also favors Lehigh County ................................................................................ 63 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 65 ii Case: 17-3581 Document: 003112873682 Page: 4 Date Filed: 03/12/2018 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) Cases ACLU v. City of Plattsmouth, 419 F.3d 772 (8th Cir.2005) (en banc) ............................................................... 49 Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, 492 U.S. 573 (1989) ................................................................................ 41, 46, 47 Allen v. Wright, 468 U.S. 737 (1984) ............................................................................................ 40 Am. Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky v. Mercer Cty., Ky., 432 F.3d 624 (6th Cir. 2005) .............................................................................. 47 Am. Civil Liberties Union of N.J. v. Black Horse Pike Reg’l Bd. of Educ., 84 F.3d 1471 (3d Cir.1996) ................................................................................ 58 Am. Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey v. Schundler, 168 F.3d 92 (3d Cir. 1999) ..................................................................... 40-41, 65 American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey v. Schundler, 104 F.3d 1435 (3d Cir. 1997) ....................................................................... 59, 65 Americans United for Separation of Church and State v. Reagan, 786 F.2d 194 (3d Cir. 1986) ......................................................................... 40, 41 Blunt v. Lower Merion Sch. Dist., 767 F.3d 247 (3d Cir. 2014) ......................................................................... 39, 42 Card v. City of Everett, 520 F.3d 1009 (9th Cir. 2008) ............................................................................ 54 Christ’s Bride Ministries, Inc. v. Southeastern Pa. Transp. Auth., 148 F.3d 242 (3d Cir.1998) ................................................................................ 43 Comm. for Pub. Educ. & Religious Liberty v. Regan, 444 U.S. 646 (1980) ............................................................................................ 47 iii Case: 17-3581 Document: 003112873682 Page: 5 Date Filed: 03/12/2018 Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U.S. 709 (2005) ............................................................................................ 48 Danvers Motor Co., Inc. v. Ford Motor Co., 432 F.3d 286 (3d Cir. 2005) ............................................................................... 39 Doe v. Elmbrook Sch. Dist., 687 F.3d 840 (7th Cir. 2012) .............................................................................. 47 Doe v. Indian River Sch. Dist., 653 F.3d 256 (3d Cir. 2011) ........................................................................passim Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1 (1947). ......................................................................................... 45, 46 Freedom from Religion Found. Inc. v. New Kensington Arnold Sch. Dist., 832 F.3d 469 (3d Cir. 2016) ................................................................... 39-40, 42 Freethought Soc’y of Greater Phila. v. Chester Cty., 334 F.3d 247 (3d Cir. 2003) ........................................................................passim Good News Club v. Milford Cent. Sch., 533 U.S. 98 (2001) .............................................................................................. 48 Green v. Haskell Cty. Bd. of Com’rs, 568 F.3d 784 (10th Cir. 2009) ............................................................................ 43 Green v. Haskell Cty. Bd. of Comm’rs, 574 F.3d 1235 (10th Cir. 2009) .......................................................................... 47 Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 (2012) ............................................................................................ 48 Hurley v. Irish–American Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Group of Boston, 515 U.S. 557 (1995) ............................................................................................ 42 Lamb’s Chapel v. Ctr. Moriches Union Free Sch. Dist., 508 U.S. 384 (1993) ............................................................................................ 47 Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971) .....................................................................................passim iv Case: 17-3581 Document: 003112873682 Page: 6 Date Filed: 03/12/2018 McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, 545 U.S. 844 (2005) ................................................................................ 44, 48, 64 Modrovich v. Allegheny Cty., 385 F.3d 397 (3d Cir. 2004) ........................................................................passim Moss v. Spartanburg Cty. Sch. Dist., 683 F.3d 599 (4th Cir. 2012) .............................................................................. 41 Murray v. City of Austin, Tex., 947 F.2d 147 (5th Cir. 1991) ........................................................................ 52, 65 Myers v. Loudoun Cty. Pub. Schs., 418 F.3d 395 (4th Cir. 2005) .............................................................................. 49 Protestants and Other Americans United for Separation of Church and State v. O’Brien, 272 F. Supp. 712 (D.D.C. 1967) ......................................................................... 24 Raines v. Byrd, 521 U.S. 811 (1997) ............................................................................................ 39 Salazar v. Buono, 559 U.S. 700 (2010) ............................................................................................ 55 Staley v. Harris Cty., Tex., 485 F.3d 305 (5th Cir. 2007) .............................................................................. 54 Tearpock-Martini v. Borough, 674 F. App’x 138 (3d Cir. 2017) .................................................................. 59, 63 Tenafly Eruv Ass’n, Inc. v. Borough of Tenafly, 309 F.3d 144 (3d Cir. 2002) ............................................................................... 43 Town of Greece v. Galloway, 134 S. Ct. 1811 (2014) .................................................................................passim United States v. Stimler, 864 F.3d 253 (3d Cir. 2017) ............................................................................... 41 United States v. Tann, 577 F.3d 533 (3d Cir. 2009) ............................................................................... 40