Judge Rules in Favor of Suspended Christian Student

A federal judge has overturned the suspension of a Christian student who was punished for sharing his faith at his public high school.

Michael Leal had been suspended three times for sharing the Gospel at Cascade High School in Everett, Washington.

"Some people speak about other things; I speak about God. But in the end we're all speaking and we all have that freedom of speech and I think it's important that we all have free speech," Leal told Pacific Justice Institute.

Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, represented Michael Leal in court. He spoke with CBN News' Gary Lane about why he felt so passionate about the case.

PJI helped Leal challenge the school district in court after officials suspended him and accused him of being disruptive for witnessing to students and handing out gospel tracts.

The district had a policy banning students from handing out literature unless they wrote it themselves, and only before or after the hours of instruction while outside the entrances of the school.

Now a judge has struck down the part of the school policy that required students to write the materials themselves. He also struck down Leal's suspensions and ordered the school to erase them from his record.

"Today's win is a well-deserved graduation present to our client," Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, said. "He should not have been suspended for simply handing other students gospel tracts, and today's ruling is a vindication of our efforts on his behalf."