THOMAS VAN ORDEN

'Thomas Van Orden' is a U.S. lawyer who challenged the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on public property. Orden, a native of Austin, Texas, graduated from Southern Methodist Law School[1], and was a practicing lawyer before his suspension in December of 1999[2].
''Van Orden v. Perry'' was presented before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 2, 2005. The contention was that a large granite monument carved with the commandments, on display on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, was unconstitutional. In a decision reached June 27, 2005, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 against Van Orden.
Van Orden is also noteworthy because he is destitute and homeless, living out of a tent. The media has thus dubbed him "The Homeless Lawyer", a label Van Orden expressed distaste for, stating, "What do you think defines me: where I slept or what I did all day?" [3]
In the mid 1990s, while on sabbatical from his law practice, Van Orden worked at Austin based NuStats where he helped find solutions to transportation issues in Portland, Oregon while also helping his underpaid co-workers with various legal problems.

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See also

External links

Sources

See also

★ Separation of church and state in the United States

★ ''McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky''

External links

★ Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (PBS), includes video coverage

Sources

★ ''[4]'', Certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, ''Van Orden v. Perry'' (FindLaw cache)

★ ''[5]''

★ ''Supreme Court on a Shoestring'', The Washington Post, February 21, 2005

★ ''From the streets to the Supreme Court'', The Houston Chronicle Oct. 17, 2004 (article mirrored at www.godlesshouston.com)

★ U.S. Supreme Court docket for 03-1500 ''Van Orden v. Perry''
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