‘Trust Christ, He paid the price’: Town pays damages for going full anti-Christ on man promoting Jesus
‘No one should be forced to ask the government’s permission to express their faith in a public space. The First Amendment is his permit’
A town in South Carolina is changing its ordinances and has agreed to pay damages for its scheme to censor a Christian resident’s statement of faith.
It is First Liberty Institute that battled in court on behalf of Ernest Giardino, and reached the settlement.
While the town of Chapin will pay “nominal damages” for its actions, it also will be held to account for lawyers’ fees.
It is a consent order, adopted by a federal court, that now enjoins Chapin and its officials from enforcing an ordinance that kept Giardino from holding religious signs on public ways in the town without a permit.
The two sides “agreed on the contents of the order” after town officials moved to change their ordinance.
“Mr. Giardino just wants to share his Christian faith with others,” said Nate Kellum, lawyer for First Liberty Institute. “We commend the town for revising the ordinance language so Mr. Giardino can live out his faith in the public sphere.”
The legal team explained, “A Chapin police officer prevented Ernest Giardino from holding a religious sign on a public way at the intersection of Old Lexington Road and Chapin Road on June 20, 2024, reading ‘Trust Christ He paid the price’ on one side and ‘He Saved Others—Jesus—He’ll Save You’ on the other. The officer informed him that he needed Chapin’s permission to share his message with a sign.”
He soon was told that city requirements demanded a two-week notice for him to proclaim his beliefs, and then limited him to 30 minutes, including that he would need to change sidewalk corners every 15 minutes.
When the dispute arose, First Liberty Institute filed a case in federal court.
At the time, Kellum said, “No one should be forced to ask the government’s permission to express their faith in a public space. The First Amendment is his permit. Like any citizen in any city in America, Mr. Giardino is free to peacefully share his religious beliefs on a public sidewalk.”
The case challenged the constitutionality of the town’s agenda. It’s because the town rule regulating “demonstrations” is written vaguely enough to allow officials to claim that a man holding a sign is, in fact, a demonstration.
It accused the town of violating the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution as well as the state’s Religious Freedom Act.
The case filing charged, “Through signs, Giardino can convey his message without causing anyone to stop or speak with him. Individuals in vehicles can read the statements on his sign as they drive by him. Giardino typically holds a sign in a public space for over one hour and in the late afternoon during rush hour and/or after schools have let students out, to maximize the number of people who can view the messaging on his sign. He does not use amplification or project his message orally to share his religious beliefs. He remains silent when he holds a sign, only speaking with individuals who approach him for conversation.”
The filing reveals Giardino tried to obtain relief from the town without legal action, but was told by one official the town believes its local requirement “supersedes the Constitution because it’s a local ordinance.”
