The Fox News Channel show, which normally tapes in Manhattan, traveled to the De Anza College campus to address a controversial story that has received widespread attention across the country. Stephen Williams, a fifth grade teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School, filed suit against the Cupertino Union School District on Nov. 22, charging that he had been prevented from distributing relevant handouts on religious references in American history because of his own status as a Christian.

The controversy surrounding the case filled the Flint Center with fans of the show and Williams' supporters, who gave the teacher a rousing ovation as he took the stage before taping began at 6 p.m.

Co-host Sean Hannity called Williams "a great American" in the first segment of the program, as Williams and his attorney, Jordan Lorence of the Allied Defense Fund, answered questions about the lawsuit.

"My agenda is to give students an accurate depiction of history," Williams said in response to Hannity's query over whether he was a religious zealot. "Look at my track record—in all the years of teaching, I've had zero complaints on this issue, zero."

Lorance, whose organization's mission is to provide resources to help spread the Christian gospel, said that Williams' position as a teacher prohibited him from proselytizing in the classroom, but that his Constitutional right to practice whatever religion he chooses should not make him a target. "He doesn't surrender his rights simply because he's a schoolteacher," Lorance said.

Williams and Lorance only spoke during the first segment of the program. After the first commercial break, guests such as Col. Oliver North and Mike Newdow, the father who sued to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, argued over the role of religion in public schools for the remainder of the hour.

Craig Martin, a member of the audience who lives in Santa Clara and described himself as a fan of Fox News, said he found the program to be more entertaining than informative, but agreed with the sentiments expressed. "God has [been] systematically removed from our collective conscience, and it's led to a deterioration of family values," he said. "The point I'm trying to make is the same one Hannity was trying to make—God was a building block for the Founding Fathers."

In a phone interview, Cupertino city councilwoman and former mayor Sandra James said attending the taping was disappointing for its misrepresentation of Cupertino. "I thought it would be important to talk about the fact that there are 24 schools in the Cupertino Union School District and only one teacher is being discussed," she said. "The historical documents are taught and included in the fifth grade textbook. Elementary school students also say the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. None of that came up on the show."

James also said that she was disappointed that there was no voice representing the community, adding that she and city public information officer Rick Kitson had approached the school district, offering to speak for them on Hannity & Colmes. She served on the CUSD school board for eight years.

District communications manager Jeremy Nishihara said that the district is trying to avoid complicating the lawsuit by speaking in public. A press release distributed on Dec. 7 said, "The District acknowledges that parties have a right in our society to bring legitimate grievances before the courts for a determination of their legal rights and feels that the court system is the appropriate forum to address this dispute."

Despite learning about Fox News's plans on Dec. 3, Flint Center general manager Paula Davis said that the taping went off without a hitch, with few security concerns and a respectful crowd. She said nearly 1,900 people took advantage of free tickets available prior to the event, or walked into the taping. Most tickets were already gone by the time Hannity & Colmes announced the taping on their Dec. 6 show, but Davis attributed extra space in the auditorium to the rainy night.