Vidalia, Georgia, is known for its eponymous sweet onion, available only in North America. Quebec is known for its poutine, a hangover cure across Canada and the northern U.S.
The politically divergent regions now have something in common beyond celebrated cuisine and secessionist history: judicial rebukes for allegedly retaliating against Christians for their beliefs about abortion, taxation and public schools.
Citing a court record "replete with evidence" of a "retaliatory motive," U.S. District Judge Stan Baker approved a preliminary injunction against Vidalia City Schools for kicking out a student ministry over its founder's unrelated Facebook posts that criticized a proposed property tax increase and the quality of its education relative to its "administrative bloat."
Throughout litigation, the district must allow Sweet Onion Christian Learning Center and the Rev. Gady Youmans to keep providing "released time education" to students in the same manner they did in the prior school year, and a "reasonable opportunity" for students to adjust their schedules to participate, as Vidalia does for other courses, Baker said.