US Marine Court-Martialed for Posting Bible Verse on Her Desk

A US Marine was court-martialed after she posted a Bible verse at her desk.
Monifa Sterling’s case was heard in federal court on Wednesday.

Marine Monifa Sterling posted this Bible verse at her desk.
Her superiors found it offensive.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday weighed the case of a former Marine court-martialed in part for expressing her Christian faith while on the job – though the Marine’s lawyer faced tough questions from judges who suggested she was “thumbing her nose at a superior” with her actions.

Monifa Sterling, while with the Marines, had posted biblical verses at her desk, despite orders from a superior to remove them. At issue in Wednesday’s case is the extent to which a federal law on religious freedom protects members of the Armed Forces like her.

The central issue of free speech on government property, especially within a military context, has made this case closely watched. But several judges hearing the case at a 45-minute oral argument seemed skeptical Sterling had done enough to assert her right to post the messages.

Monifa Sterling with her Bible.