Jose Fly
New member
At Connellsville Junior High East in Pennsylvania, there is a 10 Commandments monument in front of the school.
A few years ago, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote the school and asked them to take it down. The school boarded up the monument and planned to send it to a local church. Then, due to locals being upset, school officials changed their minds and took the boards off. So AU and FFRF, with a student plaintiff, sued and asked a judge for a summary judgement. The school also asked for a summary judgement.
The judge agreed with FFRF and AU that the monument is a religious display and in violation of the Establishment Clause.
But here's the odd part. Because the process took so long, the student who was the plaintiff is no longer at the school, which means he/she no longer has standing. On that basis, the judge said that even though the monument at the school is illegal, it can stay up. So if the AU and FFRF want it taken down, they need another student willing to be a plaintiff and a speedier legal process.
![EJYr8cP.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/EJYr8cP.jpg?1)
A few years ago, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote the school and asked them to take it down. The school boarded up the monument and planned to send it to a local church. Then, due to locals being upset, school officials changed their minds and took the boards off. So AU and FFRF, with a student plaintiff, sued and asked a judge for a summary judgement. The school also asked for a summary judgement.
The judge agreed with FFRF and AU that the monument is a religious display and in violation of the Establishment Clause.
"The monument still stands alone outside the school, declaring to all who pass it, ‘I AM the LORD thy God.’ There is no context plausibly suggesting that this plainly religious message has any broader, secular meaning,” wrote McVerry.
McVerry added that First Amendment law “no doubt, is not always clear. But in this case, it compels a finding that the Ten Commandments monument at the Connellsville Area School District Junior High School runs afoul of the Establishment Clause. "
McVerry added that First Amendment law “no doubt, is not always clear. But in this case, it compels a finding that the Ten Commandments monument at the Connellsville Area School District Junior High School runs afoul of the Establishment Clause. "
But here's the odd part. Because the process took so long, the student who was the plaintiff is no longer at the school, which means he/she no longer has standing. On that basis, the judge said that even though the monument at the school is illegal, it can stay up. So if the AU and FFRF want it taken down, they need another student willing to be a plaintiff and a speedier legal process.