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Group Complains About Use Policy of Navy Website

By Howard M. Friedman

Yesterday Liberty Counsel released a letter (full text) it has sent to Navy Secretary Ray Malbus complaining about restrictions imposed by the administrator of a website, Navy for Moms. The website, which includes discussion forums, was set up by the Navy-- through an outside contractor-- to provide support and interactive communication for mothers of those in the Navy and those considering enlisting. Recently its guidelines were amended to prohibit the posting of religious discussions or the creation of religious discussion groups. This followed an incident in which the administrator of the website told a user who created a discussion forum called "Christian Chat" that she must change the group's name because it was too divisive. Liberty Counsel's letter argues that this amounts to viewpoint discrimination in a designated public forum, and that users of the website cannot violate the Establishment Clause by their postings since they are not governmental actors.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on June 23, 2009 (boomark / email).