 The government argued that it had to avoid any appearance of government sponsorship of any religion and to be even-handed with all groups.The Christian Service Corps sued, arguing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on December 16, 1978, that it was unreasonable to keep all groups off the Ellipse during this time.On December 20, the court ruled that the Park Service's rules did not violate Christian Service Corps' constitutional rights.