Hattip to Brumar89.......
ACLU loses 10 Commandments fight
Kentucky judge rules Decalogue OK when posted with other documents
This doesn't mean that the Ten Commandments become the law of the land and disrespect of parents, adultery, etc become crimes as some fearful secularists seem to imagine. The 10 Commandments hanging on a wall is simply an inspirational work of art with historical significance. Now apparently if they're displayed along with other non-religious historically significant documents they pass constitutional muster.
Nice to see the ACLU lose something btw.
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Posted: August 23, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jon Dougherty
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
A federal court in Lexington, Ky., has ruled that the Ten Commandments can remain on display in the Mercer County courthouse, rejecting an attempt by the American Civil Liberties Union to have them removed.
"This is a major victory for the people of Mercer County and for all Americans who don't buy into the ACLU's extreme misrepresentation of our Constitution," said Francis J. Manion, senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, which argued the case for the county.
The ACLU filed suit to have the Ten Commandments removed from a display including other historical and legal texts, but U.S. District Judge Karl Forrester denied the legal group's motion for a preliminary injunction yesterday.
"The First Amendment was never intended to remove all mention of God or religion from the public square," said Manion. "The Supreme Court and many other courts have long recognized the foundational role of the Ten Commandments in the development of our legal system."
The court held that government officials who display the Ten Commandments for their historical value have a permissible secular purpose for doing so, said ACLJ officials.
The display of the commandments with other historical and legal documents "makes clear that government is displaying [them] because of their undoubted secular importance and influence," the law center said.
Forrester, in his ruling, noted that the historical influence of the commandments was beyond "rational dispute," even though "plaintiffs might wish it were so."
"But plaintiffs' wishes cannot change history," Forrester wrote.
"With today's decision, we see an important development and a critical recognition of the constitutionality of such a display," said Manion. "It's clear the people of Mercer County understand the difference between 'acknowledgement' of religion and 'establishment' of religion."
It was not known if the ACLU would appeal the ruling.
The Virginia Beach, Va.-based ACLJ said it is currently involved in 15 other cases involving display of the commandments
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