A Montana school district has been ordered to pay $70,000 in attorneys fees for banning a valedictorian from speaking at her graduation.

Former Butte High student Renee Griffith was told by the Butte School District in 2008 that she could not speak at her graduation because her speech contained religious references.

The speech included the sentence, "I don't let fear keep me from sharing Christ and his joy with those around me."

Griffith was told she had to remove the references to God and Christ because religious references were not allowed in graduation speeches.

A lower court had ruled in favor of the school district. But the Montana Supreme Court overturned that ruling 6-1, saying the student's free speech rights were violated.