Toledo Courthouse 10 Commandments Monument OK'd By Court

On Tuesday, a federal district court in Toledo, Ohio, rejected an ACLU challenge to a 10 Commandments monument on the grounds of the Lucas County courthouse. Finding that the monument had been donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles to combat juvenile delinquency, the court in ACLU v. Board of Commissioners of Lucas County, Ohio (ND Ohio, April 18, 2006), held that neither the primary purpose nor effect of the display was to endorse religion. In so holding, the court followed the lead of the U.S. Supreme Court last June in its Van Orden v. Perry decision involving a similar monument. Having rejected the federal constitutional claims, the court declined to exercise supplementary jurisdiction over a claim that the display violated the Ohio constitution. It dismissed that portion of the suit without prejudice. Wednesday’s Toledo Blade reported on the decision. [Thanks to How Appealing for posting the full decision.]