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Federal agency drops appeal of Christian employee's suit

An agency of the U.S. government has decided to withdraw its appeal of a lower-court decision that found the agency in violation of a Christian employee's free-speech rights.

It appears the decision of a U.S. district court judge -- a decision in favor of a Christian federal agency employee who sought to post a flyer stating his religious point of view and giving information about a federal charitable contribution program -- will stand. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has dropped its appeal of the decision in a lawsuit filed against them by Garry Lister.

Lister's attorneys say that he filed -- and was denied -- a request in late 2005 to post a flyer at the DLA's Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, where he works. That flyer warned that donations made to the charitable contribution program might be used to support abortion, sexual promiscuity, homosexual behavior, and New Age mysticism.

After the lower court ruled in Lister's favor in March, the DLA appealed to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals -- but has now voluntarily dismissed its petition. Lister's attorney Kevin Theriot with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) calls it an important victory that protects the right for Christian government employees to express their sincerely held views in the workplace.

"Christians employed in a public workplace cannot be treated as second-class citizens," says Theriot in a statement released by ADF. "The government cannot deny an employee his constitutional rights just because he holds to a religious perspective."