Atheists Lose: Oklahoma Judge Dismisses 10 Commandments Lawsuit

Atheists Lose:  Oklahoma Judge Dismisses 10 Commandments Lawsuit

Score one for the good guys:

The privately funded Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma Capitol does not violate the state constitution and can stay there, an Oklahoma County judge said Friday in a ruling that attorneys who filed the lawsuit vowed to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

District Judge Thomas Prince granted a motion filed on behalf of the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission to block the lawsuit from going to trial.

The 6-foot-tall granite monument was authorized by the Legislature in 2009 and was erected in 2012 after Republican state Rep. Mike Ritze and his family paid nearly $10,000 for it. The monument’s placement has led others to seek their own on the Capitol grounds, including a satanic group that earlier this year unveiled designs for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan.

What is with the Satanists in Oklahoma?

Really?

First this statue, then the “black mass.”

But this lawsuit wasn’t filed by the Satanists. This was the ACLU and a Baptist minister.

The ACLU has 30 days to appeal to the state’s highest court.

“Everyone involved knew today wasn’t going to be the last word in this case,” said Ryan Kiesel, ACLU of Oklahoma’s executive director.

While this lawsuit is pending, the preservation commission is not accepting applications for other monuments, though requests have been made from a Hindu leader in Nevada, the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a group seeking to erect a monument to the U.S. Bill of Rights.

This whole story is like one good section, surrounded by a series of facepalms, isn’t it?

Duane Lester

Duane Lester is co-founder of All American Blogger, and the primary writer. Following graduation, Duane entered the United States Navy as a journalist. He spent five years touring the world, reporting on local news and sports. Following his enlistment, Duane spent almost 10 years working with adjudicated youth in residential treatment environments. Duane discovered politics after September 11. He credits Erich "Mancow" Muller for opening his eyes to his conservative beliefs. Since then, Duane has devoured books and literature on politics, reading everything he can from Adam Smith to Larry Elder to Thomas Sowell. He refers to his style of politics as "conserva-tarian", a mixture of conservative and libertarian beliefs.

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