Before coming to Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) spent years taking up lawsuits in defense of Christian speech and activities in public elementary schools and universities.

Johnson, who was a relatively unknown Louisiana congressman before being elected House speaker last month , previously spent eight years as senior attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, an evangelical legal group focused on dismantling LGBTQ+ rights and outlawing abortion. It was in his role there that Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, took up case after case aimed at chipping away at the separation of church and state.

Whats alarming about this pattern in his background is that it raises questions about whether the House speaker the person second in line to the U.S. presidency disputes the first freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment in the Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

In 2004, Johnson was the lead attorney for Stockwell Place Elementary when the Bossier Parish public school got sued for pushing Christianity on its students.

A set of Jewish parents sued the school after learning it was holding prayer sessions, teaching Christian songs in class and promoting a teacher-led prayer group called Stallions for Christ that met during recess. The Jewish parents, who had two children at the school, also cited a teacher with a Christian cross on the classroom door, a Nativity scene in the school library and a graduation program featuring Christian songs and a student-led prayer, and religious speeches delivered by two local sheriffs deputies.

In their lawsuit, which you can read here , the parents claim their children were ridiculed and bullied by other kids for not participating in the religious songs. They raised concerns with the principal, who allegedly responded by defending the schools Nativity scene and religious songs, and told the parents to deal with it. The parents also complained to the school superintendent, who allegedly defended the teacher-led prayer group because this is the way things are done in the South and welcome to the Bible Belt.

Johnson spoke about the lawsuit at his church, the Airline Drive Church of Christ in Shreveport, before taking on the case. He warned the congregation what was at stake with cases like the Jewish family suing to keep Christian activities out of a public school.

The ultimate goal of the enemy is silencing the gospel, said Johnson, according to an April 2004 story in the Shreveport Times about the lawsuit. This is spiritual warfare.

Heres the article in the the Shreveport Times from April 2004: