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Contact: Cindy Roberts (662) 844-5036 ext. 227
For Immediate Release:  6/27/2005

Supreme Court issues split decision in Ten Commandments cases

The Supreme Court “should recognize that mere acknowledgement of religion does not equate to impermissible establishment of religion,” said Stephen M. Crampton, Chief Counsel for the AFA CLP.

(Tupelo, MS) - In the most watched cases of the now-concluded term of court, the United States Supreme Court ruled today that one of two Ten Commandments displays may remain, while the other is unconstitutional. In the first case, McCreary County, Kentucky v. ACLU, 03-1693, Justice David Souter wrote in a 5-4 decision that the displays in county courthouses were motivated by a religious purpose, and so were impermissible. In the second case, Van Orden v. Perry, 03-1500, the Court allowed a monument containing the Ten Commandments to remain on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol.

“The Court’s second-guessing of the hidden purposes of the Kentucky commissioners smacks of judicial tyranny,” said Crampton. “The Court has tightened its grip on every aspect of our lives. These five unelected people in black robes are not declaring law; they are arbitrarily setting social policy for the entire country,” Crampton continued. “The Court missed a tremendous opportunity.”

“We are obviously pleased with the Court’s upholding of the monument in Texas,” Crampton said. “But the fractured nature of the opinion loudly underscores the utter lack of any clear rule of law in these matters.”

The AFA CLP submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in the Van Orden case, and is involved in similar cases around the country, including Baker v. Adams County, Ohio, which is currently pending at the Supreme Court.

American Family Association is a pro-family advocacy organization with over two million online supporters.

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