Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Ten Commandments Challenge Dismissed On Standing Grounds

In Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. New Kensington-Arnold School District, (WD PA, July 27, 2015), a Pennsylvania federal district court dismissed a challenge to a 6-foot tall Ten Commandments monument on the lawn of a Pennsylvania high school, finding that plaintiffs lacked standing because they have not been injured by the presence of the monument.  They had only a few contacts with it, and there is no evidence that in the future they will be required to visit the high school as part of their ordinary routines. TribLive reports on the decision.  Freedom From Religion Foundation in its press release on the case points out that a companion challenge to a similar monument in Pennsylvania's Connellsville Area School District is still ongoing.