10/24/11: ADF Defends NJ Teacher’s Conservative Views

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The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian nonprofit organization, has come to the defense of Viki Knox, the New Jersey teacher whose controversial anti-homosexual Facebook comments resulted in a paid administrative leave.

ADF claims that Knox engaged in protected speech, and therefore should not be penalized for her views, ADF Senior Counsel Byron Babione said “Viki communicated her religious views on a matter of public importance… To punish her for that would be completely illegal.”

In their letter, ADF quoted several legal precedents, including one stating that “public employers cannot silence…their employees simply because they disapprove of the content of [their] speech.”

Conversely, a New Jersey attorney, John Paragano, insists that Knox be dismissed as an educator.”