Agency Sued For Censoring Ads with Bible Verses
Two unemployment advocates are suing for relief in federal court because workers at a state government agency removed biblical verses from ads for their services.
Two unemployment advocates are suing for relief in federal court because workers at a state government agency removed biblical verses from ads for their services. They claim that their First Amendment rights were violated.
Andrew and Glenda Grosjean, who work as independent contractors with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency to help persons who have been denied unemployment benefits, say that in September, the agency censored their ads, which are placed in a mailing list it sends out to potential clients.
"Apparently, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency thinks it can discriminate against Christian content in ads," said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Kevin Theriot, in a released statement. ADF, which is based in Scottsdale, Arizona is defending the Grosjeans.
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"Prohibiting the Grosjeans from expressing their religious viewpoint as part of their ads in a public forum is a blatant violation of the First Amendment," added Theriot.
The ads were “personalized and biographical,” according to the complaint filed by with a U.S. District Court in Michigan.
In their defense, the ADF complaint notes that the Grosjeans are not considered employees of the state agency based on their contract, which reads: “the Advocate is not an agent of the Agency or its successors for any purpose… [the Advocates are] self employed individual[s].”
Furthermore, the Grosjeans state in the complaint that they had been previously allowed to use the ads without a problem, until an employee from the agency alleged that placing them in the forum would be a violation of the separation of church and state.
One of the ads read in part: “Courteous and qualified, I will not treat you like a number. An EXPERT in unemployment law, I will aggressively conquer your case. ‘And what doth the LORD require of thee but to do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with thy GOD.’ Micah 6:8b.”
In support of their case, the complaint also states that personalized biographical ads by other independent contractors are “virtually indistinguishable” from those of the Grosjeans. Those ads, it is pointed out, refer to “belief” and “justice,” except that they don’t contain religious content or express a religious viewpoint.
The Grosjeans are suing employees of the MUIA for violation of their free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution, for discriminating against their religious viewpoint based on the content of their ads.
They are seeking that they be allowed to use their ads, and be awarded damages and litigation costs.
The civil case is Grosjean v.Bommarito, et. al. and was filed with the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan.
