Top state court nixes 10 Commandments monument at capitol
The Oklahoma Capitol. Image from Shutterstock.
A Ten Commandments monument on the Oklahoma Capitol grounds violates the state’s constitution and must be removed, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled (PDF) on Tuesday.
However, state attorney general Scott Pruitt said he intends to continue to fight the court’s determination that the 6-foot granite monument is a religious symbol and hopes the ruling will be stayed in the meantime, the Associated Press reports.
“Quite simply, the Oklahoma Supreme Court got it wrong,” Pruitt said in a written statement. “The court completely ignored the profound historical impact of the Ten Commandments on the foundation of Western law.”
He also called for a repeal of the applicable state constitutional provision, if the supreme court’s interpretation stands.
The Ten Commandments monument, which was paid for with private funds and constructed in 2012, led to requests by other organizations for space to put up their own religious symbols. They include the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and another group that wants to erect a statue of Satan.
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