Rainbow City will not remove Nativity Display

The city of Rainbow City will not be removing the city’s Christmas display after the city attorney determined that the city’s Christmas display does not infringe upon any constitutional prohibitions, saying that had representatives of the Freedom From Religion Foundation had made a trip to see it for themselves, a Dec. 16 letter asking that the display be removed might have been written differently.

The freedom from religion foundation is contending the display, which includes a Nativity scene, is unconstitutional and, based on an investigation done for the foundation by the resident who complained, should be removed.

Friday night, an estimated crowd of 500 to 600 people gathered in support of the mayor and the manger.

City Attorney Jim Turnbach’s shared his response with the media Monday. It stated that Turnbach’s firm did extensive research after receiving the foundations  letter that confirmed Turnbach’s initial belief that the displays erected by the city in celebration of the holiday season are constitutional, and don’t infringe on constitutional bans or on federal case law the firm considers “not only relevant, but controlling.”

Turnbach noted in the letter that the FFRF has been party to the majority of cases he relied on in determining the display is legal.