Public-school teacher Marisol Arroyo-Castro displayed a crucifix on the wall of the classroom where she taught seventh graders. After fielding complaints about the crucifix, school administrators approached Arroyo-Castro and requested that she relocate the crucifix out of students’ view during instructional hours. As the administrators pointed out, the crucifix display violated the Establishment Clause. But Arroyo-Castro refused, so the administrators placed her on paid leave.
Arroyo-Castro then filed a lawsuit in federal court, asserting that the school administrators had violated her free exercise and free speech rights under the Constitution. After the district court denied Arroyo-Castro’s request for a preliminary injunction, she appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
On June 24, 2026, Americans United filed an amicus brief at the Second Circuit in support of the school administrators. We argued that by decorating the classroom walls, Arroyo-Castro was acting in her official capacity as a public-school teacher and therefore had no free-exercise right to display the crucifix. We further argued that the administrators’ actions were justified because the crucifix display violated the Establishment Clause as well as students’ and families’ free-exercise rights. Our brief was joined by several religious and civil-rights organizations.
