Texas Court Clerk Could Face Jail Time After Standing Up for Pledge, Prayer

Before the Bowie County Commissioner's Court in Texas begins its official business, it recites the Pledge of Allegiance, and a prayer. But a county judge wants to be sure the written record contains no mention of those pledges or prayers, and has ordered the local clerk not to record them. She refuses to go along and cover up what she believes is right. And now could face the consequences.

Last week, Natalie Nichols, a County Clerk in Bowie, stood up to a judge and refused to erase the pledge and prayer from the official minutes of the county commissioner's meeting. For standing on principle, she could end up paying a fine, or even go to jail.

Ms. Nichols alleges that Judge Sterling Lacy physically crossed through and x-ed out the pledge and prayer in the official record of the minutes, and then lied about doing it. Apparently, the judge was afraid of possible lawsuits, and wanted all the participants in the meeting to pretend that no prayer or pledge was recited.

Fox News reports on what Judge Lacy allegedly said:

"...Purposely do not place items such as the pledge and/or invocation on the Agenda, and purposely perform them prior to to calling the meeting to order for fear of being sued by an organization such as the ACLU and do not want to give the impression that it is the court's official stance."

Nichols refused to do this, and now Judge Lacy has lodged a complaint with the County Sheriff, stating that Ms. Nichols disrupted the proceedings of the Commissioner's meeting.

The Sheriff's Office states it will investigate the matter and present its findings to the Distict Attorney's Office. The DA will then decide whether to put Ms Nichols before a grand jury.

Nichols, however, does not seem the least bit deterred by the prospect of criminal charges.

"If I need to go to jail for standing up this country and for God, I will do so," she told Fox News in an interview Monday morning. "A lot of people bled and died for this country, I'm risking a little bit of jail time. I'm okay with that."