Summary
Ilene Vick, a Christian author, wanted to reserve a small meeting room in the local Putnam County, Tennessee Public Library. Vick wanted to discuss her book, Personality-based Evangelism, and offer religious educational classes where the book would be discussed. Library officials rejected her request, citing their 2009 meeting room policy, which stated, “Rooms are not available for meetings of social, political, partisan, or religious purposes....” Other community groups were routinely permitted to rent the same facilities for their educational meetings and to discuss a variety of topics.
Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on behalf of Vick, challenging the denial of her request to reserve the facilities and the policy on which the denial was based. Shortly thereafter, the Library agreed to settle the case and revoke its policy that banned the use of facilities for religious purposes.
What's at stake
The freedom of Christians to use the same facilities as other secular assemblies
Government regulations that deny equal access for religious activities
Our role in this case
Alliance Defending Freedom and its allied attorneys represented Ilene Vick in the defense of her constitutional rights.