Sunday, September 30, 2007

KY County Removes 10 Commandments Display After Adverse Court Decision

The AP reports that last Wednesday, Garrard County, Kentucky officials took down a Ten Commandments display from the walls of the Fiscal Court. The action follows the decision earlier this month in American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky v. Garrard County, Kentucky, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70711 (ED KY, Sept. 5, 2007) in which a federal court suggested that the display of the 10 Commandments along with other historical documents violates the Establishment Clause. It found "sufficient evidence of the county's improper religious purpose in the extended history and evolution of the ... display" to deny defendant's motion for summary judgment. Summarizing the issue in the case, the court asked: "If a county gets it wrong in displaying the Ten Commandments, what does it then take to get it 'right' such that it passes constitutional muster?" (See prior related posting.)