Supreme Court Avoids Ruling on Chanukah Bus Advertisement Controversy in Florida
WASHNGTON – A Jewish synagogue in Florida faced a restriction preventing it from promoting its 2020 “Chanukah on Ice” event on buses unless it eliminated mentions of the menorah.
A federal appeals court found that the policy of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority was unreasonable but stopped short of declaring all restrictions on religious advertisements as unconstitutional.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing Young Israel of Tampa, stated that the Supreme Court must address this matter. Some lower courts have argued that a “reasonable” ban on religious speech cannot exist, while others support allowing certain objective standards, according to the attorneys representing the group.
According to the Becket Fund, more than twenty transit systems prohibit religious advertisements.
“These bans suppress religious expression and violate the constitution,” they claimed.