Federal Court Orders Saucon Valley School District to Allow After School Satan Club to Meet in District Facilities

Federal Court Orders Saucon Valley School District to Allow After School Satan Club to Meet in District Facilities

A federal district court issued a preliminary injunction today ordering the Saucon Valley School District (SVSD) to allow the After School Satan Club to hold meetings at district facilities. The emergency injunction comes after the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Dechert LLP filed a lawsuit in March on behalf of The Satanic Temple, which sponsors the club.

In its decision, the court ruled that the district likely violated the First Amendment when it bowed to public pressure by revoking approval for the club to hold meetings at the Saucon Valley Middle School. The district had previously admitted that, under the U.S. Constitution, it “cannot discriminate among groups wishing to use the SVSD facilities.”