State Representative James Carr, D-Hopkinsville, — who participated in dedication ceremonies for a Ten Commandments monument at a Hopkinsville Aerie of the Fraternal Order of Eagles the weekend before the court’s ruling — said the decisions, all by 5-to-4 votes, were “somewhat vague.”
The court ruled that the Kentucky displays were an endorsement of religion because they were not surrounded, at least before a suit was brought, with other historical documents. The Texas Capitol’s display, however, was one of 17 representations of historic documents on Capitol grounds.
Though there are no similar displays in Trigg County, local officials said they’d prefer such cases to never reach the Supreme Court, saying they should be decided instead by local citizens and governments.
“Most of us would like to have a local option on everything,” Cadiz Mayor Lyn Bailey said, “but sometimes that just won’t work.”
In this instance “they had to make a ruling for all of us because of the controversy it was creating in a lot of places,” he said.
More of these cases, however, including some involving Kentucky courthouses, are expected in the courts, as supporters and opponents debate the contexts in which the Commandments are displayed.
For the rest of this story, please see this week's edition of The Cadiz Record.
