MANCHESTER, CT – (AP) A federal appeals court has reversed a federal judge’s order that religious displays be removed from a Christian store that offers postal services in Manchester, Connecticut.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says Sincerely Yours, a contract postal unit operated by the FullGospelInterdenominationalChurch, is not a post office and doesn’t need to be regulated like one.
The judges say only the postal counter, boxes, and shelving units must be cleared of religious material and there should be “a visual cue” distinguishing the postal facility from the private ministry space.
A customer filed suit in 2003, claiming that the religious signs, prayer cards, religious videos, and other materials inside the store constituted a government endorsement of religion.