Indiana Atheists Win Lawsuit Over Bus Ads

Indiana Atheists Win Lawsuit Over Bus Ads

from Friendly Atheist by Hemant Mehta

Some good news from the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign!

A couple months ago, atheists paid to have this ad put on buses in Bloomington, Indiana:


After paying for it, Transpo (the bus company) decided the ad was “too controversial” and never placed the ad on buses. A lawsuit was filed.

Today, the atheists have prevailed!

The members of the campaign are pleased to announce that we have reached a settlement with Bloomington Transit regarding our lawsuit. A preliminary injunction hearing was scheduled in the United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, but Bloomington Transit capitulated in the days leading up to the injunction hearing.

The terms of the settlement are that BT will accept our ad, which features the slogan ‘You Can Be Good Without God’ for posting on as many buses and for as long of a time as we like, for the standard ad rate. They will also be reimbursing the ACLU of Indiana for a significant portion of their legal expenses.

That is wonderful news, a precedent judges can look to in case this happens again elsewhere, and a victory for free speech advocates everywhere

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by LaRae Meadows on July 27, 2009 at 7:40pm
Awesome!
Permalink Reply by Norma LM on July 27, 2009 at 10:36pm
The whole lawsuit could have been avoided if the contract had a clause saying 'we reserve the right to refuse service ... ', which I thought would have been standard. Oh well, everyone wants to sue for all kinds of things.
Permalink Reply by qıƃ ɟ ǝıɔɐɹʇ on July 28, 2009 at 5:59am
I wonder if it's really true that this can be a precedent for judges to look to if it never saw the light of day in a court. I don't know. I'm asking.
Permalink Reply by Steven Gibson on July 28, 2009 at 9:26am
I don't know either. The law is strange and complex. People go through years of school and still don't know much ;-)
Permalink Reply by Norma LM on July 28, 2009 at 8:46pm
What's wrong with having lots of money? I don't think it's an either / or thing. Bill Gates is an atheist from what I understand. I think he's nice from what I see and he's got brains. LOL or he wouldn't have made the deals he did to get to where he is. That's just one example.
I also don't think money is everything when it comes to the legal system. I'm sure there are thousands of examples for both cases, fair and just outcomes or people getting off when they shouldn't have. Have you ever been arrested? I have. (with a fair outcome btw, didn't go to trial!) Have you ever sat on a jury? I have. I have also been a volunteer with the police and other community organizations. I've seen the 'system' from both sides. As they say, it's not perfect but from my POV, it works pretty good. Oh! And I'm far from rich. AND I quit high school, haha. So, I'm neither wealthy nor educated, LOL.

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