A South Carolina town lifted its ban against worship services at the town’s civic center, prompting a mutual agreement Monday to end a lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom.
Attorneys from the nonprofit religious freedom organization filed a federal lawsuit against Edisto Beach on behalf of Redeemer Fellowship of Edisto Island last year after the town council banned worship services at the civic center. Redeemer Fellowship had rented the civic center on two occasions prior to the town council voting to reject its third proposed rental agreement.
“Churches shouldn’t be treated less favorably than other groups that want to rent facilities,” said Christiana Holcomb, an attorney for the alliance, at the time the lawsuit was filed. “The town of Edisto Beach tells the community that it welcomes ‘civic, political, business, social groups and others’ to use its civic center, but the town’s recent policy change singles out one form of expression, worship, as inferior to other forms of speech, and that’s clearly unconstitutional.”
The lawsuit claimed the town’s ban discriminated against certain viewpoints by permitting some groups “to engage in singing, teaching, social interaction, and similar expressive activities” at the civic center while forbidding “access to those groups that engage in those same activities from a religious viewpoint.”
The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest supporting the church.
“We commend Edisto Beach for lifting its ban, which was inconsistent with the town’s own statement that it welcomes ‘civic, political, business, social groups and others’ to use its civic center,” said Holcomb after the town revised its decision.
