Judge orders 10 Commandments from Florida courthouse

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Officials in a rural north Florida county must remove a granite monument of the Ten Commandments from the front of its courthouse because it violates the constitution, a federal judge has ruled.

Senior District Judge Maurice Paul sided with The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida in its lawsuit against Dixie County. He gave Dixie officials until Aug. 14 to remove the six-ton monument located in front of the courthouse in Cross City.

Paul's ruling Friday resulted from a 2007 lawsuit by the ACLU of Florida. The group argued that an official government display of a religious monument violates a clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from promoting religious messages. The county argued that a private citizen owns the monument.

"We hope that Dixie County officials will find a permanent place for it at a church or other house of worship, which is the appropriate place for religious monuments," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU's Florida operation. "Removing the monument is the right thing to do."

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[LouPhinFan]

As a Christian it aways irks me to no end when removing the Ten Commandments is made a big deal. It's really not. Do you know why they started putting the Ten Commandments up in the first place? As a publicity stunt for the Charlton Heston movie.

I really could care less if the Ten Commandments are displayed in a courthouse or not.

[Dolphan7]

Does anyone know how many Christian symbols, sayings and artifacts are displayed in government buildings and courthouses all across this country? Hundreds of thousands. It is part of our heritage, as much as that fact saddens so many. It has nothing to do with the misguided and misquoted separation of Church and State agenda currently being played our in our courts.

[CedarPhin]

The only statue in the world of Mohammed is on the US Supreme Court building.