MANCHESTER, Ga. — A Georgia library system has repealed its policy prohibiting the display and distribution of the Bible as part of a settlement agreement with the American Center for Law and Justice.
“It is clear that this policy was unconstitutional because the law states that if a library permits the display and distribution of other materials, it cannot legally exclude the Bible because the material is religious in nature,” said Stuart J. Roth, Southeast regional counsel for the ACLJ.
The law firm sued in February on behalf of James Flournoy of Luthersville, Ga., who sought to display and distribute small paperback New Testaments at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester, Ga.
According to the settlement agreement, the library has decided to eliminate its display and distribution of non-library materials.
“In our view, the decision to close the forum to all materials sends the wrong signal to the community — but it is an option that the library system is legally permitted to pursue,” Roth said.
As a result of the settlement, the lawsuit has been dismissed and the library system will pay $30,000 in legal fees to the ACLJ.
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