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Ten Commandments gaining favor in federal courts

A federal court has ruled in favor of a government courthouse display in Rowan County, Kentucky, that showcases historical documents -- including the Ten Commandments.

The ACLU had claimed that the Ten Commandments inclusion violated the Establishment Clause, even though it was side-by-side with the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta and other historical documents. Attorney Mat Staver, of Liberty Counsel, says the judge's decision countered the ACLU's claim that the "Foundations of American Law and Government" display was unconstitutional, but the ruling was consistent with previous federal court rulings concerning other Kentucky Courthouse displays.

"The good news is the federal court has now come down and upheld the display and rejected the ACLU's position," says Staver. "And it's the exact same display that Liberty Counsel defended in 2005, which I argued at the United States Supreme Court out of McCreary County and Pulaski Counties, Kentucky."

Those cases also pitted the state's ACLU against Liberty Counsel. Staver feels favor for the Ten Commandments in the federal courts is gaining ground, and points out that since 2005, there have been three separate federal courts of appeal ruling in favor of similar displays. The ACLU has not sought to appeal those cases to the U.S. Supreme Court.