A Staten Island Judge, citing separation of church and state, ruled yesterday that a couple cannot change their last name to “ChristIsKing.”
The same judge denied a request six years by the same couple to change their son’s name to “JesusIsLord.” The couple, Michael and Angela Nwadiuko, subsequently went to Virginia where a judge ruled in their favor on that one.
Civil Court Judge Philip Straniere said in his latest ruling that it would be unfair to force court clerks and public school teachers to call out “ChristIsKing” when referring to members of the family.
“Not only is the speaker being forced to say something which might be repugnant to the speaker, but the general public would be subjected to this unwanted intrusion of the petitioners’ religious beliefs,” Straniere found. Read CBS news account here.
Dan Amira of New York Magazine thinks the judge is taking the whole separation of church and state thing too far. Read his post here. I’m inclined to agree with him. What do you think?