American Atheists Sue Over Oklahoma Capitol Ten Commandments

On Monday, the American Atheists filed a federal court lawsuit against the Oklahoma State Capitol Preservation Commission challenging the Ten Commandments monument erected in 2012 on the Oklahoma State Capitol Grounds. (Press release.)  The complaint (full text) in American Atheists Inc. v. Thompson, (WD OK, filed 1/13/2014) includes a lengthy analysis of the text and design of the display.  The ACLU has previously filed a state court lawsuit challenging the monument (see prior posting). In December, the State Capitol Preservation Commission placed a moratorium on new applications to erect monuments on the capitol grounds as proposals to put up competing monuments proliferated. (See prior posting.) In its complaint, American Atheists says that if it loses its bid to have the Ten Commandments removed, it will also seek permission to place a monument on the capitol grounds. KRMG News reports on the lawsuit.