A Christian man is now able to freely evangelize after a legal dispute in South Carolina, USA, sparked by his decision to share his faith on the streets.
An announcement from the legal organization representing Ernest Giardino, revealed that The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina has sided with him by recently, entering a consent order preventing the Town of Chapin from preventing him from holding religious signs on public roadways without a permit.
In addition, the town is to pay nominal damages and attorney’s fees.
First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Nate Kellum, who represented the evangelist said, “Mr. Giardino just wants to share his Christian faith with others.”
“We commend the Town for revising the ordinance language so Mr. Giardino can live out his faith in the public sphere,” he said.
In June 2024, Giardino stood at an intersection in Chapin holding a 20-by-24-inch sign at a busy intersection in Chapin, which read “Trust Christ He paid the price” on one side and “He Saved Others — Jesus — He’ll Save You” on the other.
As he left the area, a local police officer told Giardino that he would need permission from the town to display the message. Giardino, who had held similar signs for months without issue, was told on that day that the town required a two-week advance notice. In addition, he would be limited to holding the sign for only 30 minutes, and was required to change sidewalk corners every 15 minutes.
The ordinance also required him to obtain a permit, provide a fourteen-day notice, and supply proof of his identity and the content of his speech to hold a religious sign in public.
The following day, he confirmed the permit requirement with Chaplin’s enforcement officer and police chief, and gave him an application.
Giardino filed a federal lawsuit in July 2025, arguing that Chapin’s ordinance facilitated an unconstitutional restraint on his First Amendment right to engage in peaceful public religious expression.
In it, the ordinance is described as an insurmountable barrier to his evangelism
“Giardino wants to hold his signs on the public ways of Chapin to exercise his religious beliefs and spread his gospel message to Town’s residents and visitors. His desire to evangelize has not waned. But the Ordinance is an insurmountable barrier to Giardino’s evangelism. It persists in burdening his religious exercise and expression on public ways.”
In September 2025, the Court issued a preliminary injunction effectively barring Chapin from enforcing the ordinance. Meanwhile, the court ruled that Giardino could continue holding signs on public sidewalks until a final ruling was made.
A month after the injunction, both parties agreed to a consent order, permanently prohibiting the town from enforcing the previous version of the ordinance. In addition, the language of the ordinance was changed, and the court entered the final order last week.
The statement said that its ordinance “did not concern itself with what was on a sign — religious, political, sports, or any other topic; and the text of a sign was not required in the application process.” In addition, officials stated that the rule was not intended to regulate the content of demonstrations, but to manage safety and public use on rights-of-way.
