On Wednesday, a permanent monument of the Ten Commandments was restored to the state Capitol grounds in Frankfort, Kentucky.
The historic Ten Commandments monument was donated to the Commonwealth of Kentucky by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1971. First Liberty represents Eagles Aerie 3423 in Hopkinsville, which has kept the monument for over 20 years.
In March, the state Legislature passed a resolution ordering the monument to be restored.
“We are thrilled to return the Ten Commandments monument to the Commonwealth,” said Vic Jeffries, trustee of Eagles Aerie 3423. “The Eagles have donated over 100 Ten Commandments monuments to state and local governments over the years, and we’re glad to have this one back where it belongs.”
“We congratulate the people of Kentucky for restoring a part of their history,” said Roger Byron, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “There is a long tradition of public monuments like this one that recognize the unique and important role the Ten Commandments have played in state and national history.”
The monument stood on the Capitol grounds until the 1980s when it was moved due to a construction project. In 2000, a legislative resolution was signed into law that required it be returned to the Capitol grounds for permanent display near the floral clock. But its return was blocked by a federal appeals court order that relied on the Lemon test, a maligned U.S. Supreme Court precedent that stifled religious freedom for decades.
Thanks to First Liberty’s Supreme Court victories, a seismic change to religious freedom law is taking place.
Lemon was rejected by the Supreme Court in our victory in the Bladensburg Peace Cross case, The American Legion v. American Humanist Association. That ruling mandated a presumptive lawfulness for established symbols, displays, and practices.
In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District—another landmark First Liberty victory at the Supreme Court—the Court rejected Lemon entirely and mandated that the Establishment Clause be understood and applied by original meaning, history, and tradition.
As the Supreme Court has explained, the Ten Commandments “have an undeniable historical meaning,” including “historical significance as one of the foundations of our legal system,” and such “acknowledgments of the role played by the Ten Commandments in our Nation’s heritage are common throughout America.”
The Battle for Religious Freedom Isn’t Over
We’re witnessing incredible momentum for religious freedom. Faith and religious expression are being restored in states across America. But the fight for religious liberty is far from over.
Our opponents are relentless and already responding with legal attacks. Many of these groups are incredibly well-funded—and you can be sure their attacks will not stop anytime soon. This is a fight that will only intensify.
The enemies of freedom will likely challenge many of these advances for religious freedom. We are at the beginning of some huge legal battles about the future of our freedoms. Many of the positive actions could end up being litigated and tied up in lengthy and tough cases.
