Maryland Commission on Human Relations v. Norwin Corp. t/a Hagerstown Suns Baseball Club

We have submitted an amicus brief to an administrative law judge in a case brought by an atheist who challenged a promotion by a minor league baseball team. On Sundays, the park allowed fans who brought church bulletins to have discounted admission. The lawsuit was brought under a human rights law, Art. 49B sec. 5 of the Maryland Code as "discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of creed." We believe that a private organization that does not discriminate between faiths has the right to have such a promotion, and that to forbid such a program would evince an unconstitutional hostility toward religion.

A special thanks to Becket Lawyer's Committee Executive Board member David Lietch and pro bono attorney David Garre for their great work on the brief.

The ALJ ruled in the baseball team's favor on October 12, 1999.

UPDATE: An appeal has been filed. The Becket Fund is now representing the Hagerstown Suns.