Homeless man's lawsuit over religious monument goes to Supreme Court

[rainbow4321]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/061305dntexcommandments.35c8f09.html

Mr. Van Orden is homeless, sleeping in a tent in a small wooded area. He has lost his family, his career and his law license, but with scant resources and virtually no help, he managed to raise an argument that has engaged the highest court in the nation.

He sued the state of Texas to remove from the Capitol grounds a 6-foot granite monument carved with the tablets of the Ten Commandments and Jewish and Protestant symbols. He argued that it amounts to state-sanctioned promotion of religion.

That Mr. Van Orden managed to pursue the case so well, Mr. Cruz said, "is a remarkable testament to our system of justice that any individual, regardless of his or her circumstances, can have their day in court, even the Supreme Court of the United States." That said, Mr. Cruz is quick to add, "I think Mr. Van Orden's suit is a large trend across the country that reflects a view of the First Amendment that would read into our Constitution a hostility toward religion."

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"In the end, I lose," he said. "But I look at it this way: I did this alone. And along the way I attracted Douglas Laycock, Erwin Chemerinsky, the American Jewish Congress, the ACLU and many, many others that joined me. All that from a guy who lives under a bush. "How great is that?"