The Baby Jesus is no longer welcome in Pataskala, Ohio.
Susan Conley has organized the local farmers market on Veterans Green for many summers. It’s a place where local vendors can sell homemade and homegrown goods.
This year Susan wanted to host a Christmas-themed farmers market complete with a Living Nativity.
Town leaders loved the idea but hated the Nativity – writing in a letter that the Nativity could not be on any property owned or leased by the city.
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Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor, blasted the town’s decision.
“This is blatantly unconstitutional,” he wrote on X. “Denying permits for religious displays on public property because of their content is a First Amendment violation & has a chilling effect on all religious faiths. In recent years, Christianity has been unfairly targeted by secular political leaders; in the future, it could easily be other faiths too. But it’s always wrong, unconstitutional, and un-American. I stand ready to help local residents in my home state who stand up for their constitutional rights.”
First Liberty Institute is representing Susan and they say the law is very clear. It is illegal for any city to ban private religious displays from public property.
“It’s unimaginable why a city would ban a live nativity scene from the holiday farmers market considering the rich history, tradition and significance it holds for many of the city’s residents in the celebration of Christmas,” said Nate Kellum, an attorney for First Liberty Institute. “The city’s actions have a chilling effect on all religious faiths that may want to set up a display of their own during their holiday celebrations. It has always been unlawful for a city to ban private religious displays from public property.”
City leaders in Pataskala, Ohio not only violated the U.S. Constitution but also the Constitution of the state of Ohio.
“The City’s decision to deny Ms. Conley permission to display a Nativity during the December Farmers Market violates the Constitutions of both the United States and the State of Ohio. It is well established that denying permits for religious displays on public property because of their content is unconstitutional,” First Liberty wrote in a demand letter to City Hall.
The city tried to rationalize that their rule also bans hate groups from exercising their rights in a public forum. In essence – they are somehow suggesting that Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus are akin to Antifa or the KKK.
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