After-school Christian clubs won a legal victory in Hawaii after alleging suing over discrimination by public school officials.

A Hawaii district court granted Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) of Hawaii a preliminary injunction on Thursday.

CEF filed its initial lawsuit in January, claiming the state education department and local public school leaders were discriminating against CEF’s Good News Clubs.

The clubs are part of an interdenominational program for 5- to 12-year-olds and boast nearly 85,000 clubs worldwide, including 6,200 in the U.S.

According to CEF’s complaint, Good News Clubs were denied access to public school facilities because of their religious nature and, in some instances, made to pay rental fees not required of nonreligious groups. 

“Defendants’ policies of unequal access, pretextual denials, and hostility to CEF’s religious message violate the Constitution and have denied some Hawaii elementary school students access to free, positive, and character-building Good News Clubs that enrich countless students’ lives in other Hawaii schools and throughout the country,” the lawsuit read.  

The Hawaii court granted an injunction in favor of the Christian clubs, directing the state to provide CEF “equal access” to school facilities that are “made available to other similarly situated nonprofit organizations” such as Boy Scouts or Girls on the Run.  

“This is a great victory for Child Evangelism Fellowship, parents, and the students in Hawaii public schools,” said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, which is representing the plaintiffs. “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public schools cannot discriminate against Christian viewpoints regarding use of school facilities.  

“Child Evangelism Fellowship gives children a safe space that offers moral and character development from a Christian viewpoint. Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school.”  

Staver also noted in January that CEF has never lost a lawsuit for equal access. 

Even so, the group continues to face discrimination from public schools.  

Last year, CEF sued a Rhode Island district for equal access to school property and won. Other clubs – such as the Fellowship for Christian Athletes – have also had to fight for their rights to meet on campus. 

Two men, both 19 years old, were arrested last month by Hawaii police on a public road that passes through Oprah Winfrey‘s property in Kula and are the suspects of illegal hunting.
According to the statement released by the state department of land and natural resources, both men were arrested on June 21 just before midnight when the officers found them using a hunting spotlight on the road.
Although the men were not caught in the act of hunting, the state reported that officers found a loaded shotgun and a loaded rifle in their vehicle. The road where they were apprehended is surrounded by Winfrey’s ranch, according to AP.
The suspects were arrested on various charges, including hunting on private property without permission and lacking a hunting license. Additionally, one of the men was arrested for possessing an unregistered semi-automatic rifle.
Maui and other Hawaiian islands are currently grappling with an overwhelming population of invasive axis deer, reported AP.
County officials stated that the case will be reviewed by Maui County prosecutors to determine if charges will be filed. Records indicate that the men have been released pending the outcome of the investigation.