A Texas county has agreed to remove Latin cross decals on sheriff office's patrol vehicles to settle a lawsuit filed by an atheist group.
Last March, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and two of its members filed a lawsuit against Brewster County and Sheriff Ronny Dodson over the decals, saying their placement on patrol vehicles was tantamount to endorsement of religion and in violation of the Establishment Clause under the U.S. Constitution.
Dodson said he decided to place the decals on the patrol vehicles as he "wanted God's protection over his deputies."
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott supported the move by the sheriff's department, saying the cross is part of U.S. history.
"In addition to its religious significance, the cross has a long history in America and elsewhere as a symbol of service and sacrifice," Abbott said in a statement reported by Reuters. He contended that the placement of the cross decals on police vehicles did not violate the U.S. Constitution.
Nevertheless, the county agreed to settle the lawsuit by agreeing not to display the crosses in the future. It also promised to reimburse the legal fees incurred by plaintiffs Kevin Price and Jesse Castillo, both atheists, and pay them nominal damages.
According to the lawsuit, Castillo professed that he does not believe in any supernatural beings and he objects to an exclusively Christian religious symbol being displayed on his county's law enforcement vehicles.
"He believes that the crosses heighten the stigma associated with being an atheist and that he might receive more favourable treatment from the Sheriff's Office by hiding his atheism or by displaying pro-Christian messages," the lawsuit read.
Brewster County commissioners also voted to ban "political, religious, commercial or personal" phrases or signs on county-owned property.
"We're very pleased with the rapid and amicable resolution of this case," said FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor. "But the sheriff—who took an oath to uphold our nation's secular Constitution—ought to have known better. Crosses on law enforcement vehicles sent a theocratic and chilling message."
Gaylor said she was shocked that Abbott expressed support to the sheriff's decision to place the decals.
