The city of Green Bay, Wis., will be allowed to put up a nativity scene at City Hall this year, after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).
FFRF, which counts atheists and agnostics among its members, filed suit early this year — after the nativity scene had been removed.
The judge ruled that FFRF did not have standing to bring the claims, which he described as "so fleeting and slight that they do not warrant pursuing in federal court."
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said: “The reality here is that the celebration of Christmas by local governments by displaying a nativity scene is not offensive to the First Amendment, and just because an atheist organization feigns ‘offense’ over it should never form the basis for a legitimate lawsuit.
"You need real injuries suffered by legitimate plaintiffs to get into court, not ‘fake’ plaintiffs whose feelings have supposedly been hurt.”
— Danielle Hohncke
