Appeals court upholds Ten Commandments display
- Apr 15, 2005
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Chicago, has upheld a Ten Commandments display that is similar to one currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The appeals court announced March 25 an Indiana county’s display that includes the Ten Commandments is constitutional. The split, three-judge panel said it sees no reason why the display of historical documents “must be purged of the Ten Commandments to survive constitutional scrutiny.”
The Seventh Circuit decision came as the Supreme Court prepares to deliver by July opinions in two cases regarding Ten Commandments displays. One involves the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in a display of historical documents in two Kentucky county courthouses, while the other focuses on a stand-alone monument on the state capitol grounds in Austin, Tex.
The latest appeals court ruling came in a case involving a “Foundations of American Law and Government Display” in a county administration building in Elkhart, Ind. The county commission approved the display of the documents, which were privately donated, in 2003. In addition to the Ten Commandments, other documents in the display included the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact and the Magna Carta. The documents were the same size. Also included was an explanation of the historical importance of each document in the display.
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