The case of Jessica Ahlquist, a junior at Cranston High School West, who demanded to have the prayer banner hanging in her high school's gym taken down, was argued Oct. 13 in federal court and is under consideration by U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux.
Ahlquist filed the case with the American Civil Liberties Union against the city of Cranston and the Cranston School Committee in April, calling the display of a prayer banner in a public high school unconstitutional.
Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island affiliate of the ACLU, said he hopes Lagueux hands down a ruling within the next two months.
The ACLU originally became involved in the case in July 2010, when a parent filed a complaint with the organization about the banner, Ahlquist said.
When the ACLU asked the school to take it down, Ahlquist vocally supported its removal, she said.
According to an April 21 article in The Herald, the case was originally filed by Ahlquist in early April following the Cranston School Committee's 4-3 vote to keep the banner on display. It was then that the ACLU asked Ahlquist to be the plaintiff for the case.
ACLU members spent the time between the filing of the suit and the court date in October filing briefs, preparing the case and researching the history of the banner, Brown said.
Ahlquist has been a tremendous help during the process, Brown said. "She shoulders this case," he said, adding that "she is a marvelous example of fortitude and eloquence in defending her position."
Over the course of the case, Ahlquist has faced harassment, Brown said.
Ahlquist said students have written and talked about her and have approached her directly to tell her they think what she is doing is wrong. "The most vocal people are against me," Ahlquist said. "People who support me are quiet."
Despite the backlash, Ahlquist said she feels positive about the case.
After the creation of a Facebook group in support of her cause, Ahlquist has received support from over 2,200 group members. "That is my biggest support group," she said, adding that it makes her feel she is not alone.
The judge did not give any indication of how much time his ruling would take, Brown said.
For now Ahlquist and the ACLU are "playing the waiting game," Ahlquist said. Her lawyers have told her that, with the possibility of appeals after the ruling, the case could go on for a year.
Ahlquist's suit seeks the removal of the banner and damages.
