Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backs crosses on police cars

Brewster County Sheriff's Office vehicle displaying cross. Brewster County Sheriff's Office vehicle displaying cross. Photo: Attorney General Photo: Attorney General Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backs crosses on police cars 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott, continuing his plunge into a range of religious debates, is backing the display of crosses on sheriff’s department vehicles in a West Texas county.

In this instance, Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson has allowed his deputies to put the outline of a small cross on their patrol vehicles’ rear windows, according to the district attorney for the area including the county.

The sheriff’s move was criticized by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Its attorney, Sam Grover, called it “inappropriate and unconstitutional for a government entity to display a Latin cross on its property because it conveys a preference by the Sheriff's Office—and by extension, Brewster County—for religion over nonreligion and Christianity over all minority faiths.”

The foundation called on Dodson to “abandon his plan for the religious decals.”

RELATED: Gov. Abbott, Texas AG weigh in as Orange relocates nativity

District Attorney Rod Ponton in December asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for his legal opinion on whether “the mere display of a cross” on a patrol vehicle “violates the First Amendment.”

The sheriff’s office “responds to all issues, calls, and citizens without regard to religion or belief,” Ponton emphasized.

Paxton earlier issued a legal opinion supporting the Childress Police Department’s display of “In God We Trust” on its patrol vehicles, saying the department would prevail in a court battle on the issue.

The governor, who had supported the “In God We Trust” motto, also backs the crosses in Brewster County, said Abbott spokesman John Wittman.

“The Constitution demands respect for religious expression rather than hostility towards it and Governor Abbott fully supports Sheriff Dodson’s decision to allow his deputies to display the Cross on their patrol vehicles,” Wittman said by email Tuesday.

Abbott has successfully pushed to remove from the Texas Capitol underground extension a takeoff on a Nativity that came from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. It featured the Bill of Rights in a manger, surrounded by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and the Statue of Liberty. The display promoted the separation of church and state while praising “reason and the Bill of Rights.”

In addition, Abbott weighed in after the city of Orange decided to remove a Nativity scene outside its city hall. The city’s decision followed a request from the Orange County Atheists asked that a “happy holidays” banner also be hung there, the Beaumont Enterprise reported.

“I strongly encourage the City of Orange to stand up to the demands of a select few who wish to see God thrown out of the public square, embrace the season of Christmas and restore the Nativity scene immediately,” Abbott said then.

On another religious topic, Abbott’s office weighed in at the State Bar of Texas to support lawyers getting continuing legal education credit for a program entitled, “Christian Ethical Perspectives: Faith and Law Today.”

“I'm accusing Texas State Bar of religious discrimination for denying continuing education credit for Christian legal ethics program,” Abbott tweeted of the matter in late December.

The program initially was given provisional approval by the State Bar’s oversight department for continuing education and was presented at St. Mary’s University School of Law in October, with all participants getting full credit, said Allan K. DuBois, State Bar president. But on review, a State Bar committee determined credit couldn’t e given in the future based on the materials presented. The decision is being appealed by the course sponsors.

DuBois said the State Bar program has accredited many programs containing religious content as part of legal training, including courses sponsored by St. Mary’s School of Law “and other faith-based organizations.”

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