Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg was the lead signer today on an amicus brief filed on behalf of the Jesus statue at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The brief was filed by the American Center for Law and Justice in support of preserving the statue, which has sat on a small parcel of U.S. Forest Service land within the boundaries of the resort since the 1950s.
Beginning with the Forest Service’s decision last August not to renew the statue’s special-use permit, the statue has been the source of public outcry and controversy, both locally and nationwide. A group from Wisconsin sued to have the statue removed after the Forest Service withdrew its initial decision and decided to reauthorize the permit.
Rehberg has been a proponent of the statue throughout the ordeal, holding town hall meetings and speaking publicly on behalf of the statue. Signing the amicus brief was his latest show of support.
“This historically significant piece of Montana history belongs on Big Mountain,” Rehberg said in a statement. “For nearly six decades, it’s been there. In all that time, it’s never hurt a single person let alone an anti-religion group in Wisconsin who, as far as I can tell, have never even seen the statue. This lawsuit is wasting time and money, and I hope the court will do the right thing and throw it out.”