Today our firm filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces an amicus brief defending the right of a United States Marine to post small signs containing Bible verses at her work station.
Marine Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling printed and taped a paraphrase of Isaiah 54:17 at three places around her workspace: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” The three locations were designed to represent the Trinity, that is, the three persons of the Godhead — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Her Staff Sergeant twice ordered Sterling to take the display down. Sterling twice refused, explaining that the signs were based on her religion, meant for her alone, and not meant to offend anyone. Sterling was court-martialed for several offenses including disobeying the orders to remove her signs. Sterling appealed her conviction on the grounds that the order to remove her signs violated her First Amendment Free Exercise rights and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.