District’s Refusal to Post Ten Commandments Upheld
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School officials were operating within the law when they refused to let a local businessman purchase advertising space on the high school’s baseball field fence to display the Ten Commandments, a Norwalk Superior Court judge said Friday.
In making the ruling, Norwalk Superior Court Judge Thomas I. McKnew Jr. threw out a lawsuit by Edward DiLoreto, accusing the Downey Unified School District of violating his right to free speech and free exercise of religion.
DiLoreto sued the school district in state and federal courts, charging that it violated his right to free speech and free exercise of religion. School officials argued that the sign would have constituted a religious message that would be inappropriate at a public school.
Patrick J. Manshardt, an attorney who represents DiLoreto, said his client will appeal Friday’s decision.
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