Attorneys for the defendants who were arrested for protesting President Obama's commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame are claiming a huge breakthrough in the case.
A judge has ruled that attorneys from the Thomas More Society can take the deposition of Bill Kirk, a pro-life administrator at Notre Dame who was recently fired. Thomas More executive director Peter Breen believes Kirk's testimony could answer key questions regarding the actions of the Notre Dame officials.
"Why were our people treated in a different way than pro-homosexual and anti-military people by an ostensibly Catholic school?" Breen questions. "One of the claims that we've made is that the university engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination in arresting our anti-Obama, pro-life protestors when they left alone pro-Obama, anti-life protesters on the same day, in the same locations."
He does not think the lawyers for the university wanted Bill Kirk to be deposed. "There is something there that they do not want to come out, and our position from the beginning -- the position of the defendants -- is that the truth needs to be put forward clearly and honestly so that we can get to the bottom of this," the attorney explains.
Breen adds that he is puzzled why there has yet to be an offer to drop the charges against his clients because "that is the easiest way for this entire controversy to end."
The judge will set a date for the deposition in the coming weeks.
Contact: Bill Bumpas
Date Published: September 28, 2010
