Prescott v. Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission
What's at Stake
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation have filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Oklahomans challenging the constitutionality of the state’s Ten Commandments Monument.
Summary
The lawsuit, filed in Oklahoma County District Court, seeks to have the religious monument removed, citing the constitutional prohibition on using state property to support particular religions or sects. It also seeks to remedy the state monument's impact on Jewish and Christian believers. The government has taken a text that, in various forms, is deeply sacred in both of these faiths and have trivialized its religious meaning by placing it in a political and secular context, with its proponents arguing that the monument is a constitutionally permissible recitation of a purely non-religious history of our legal system and government.
Other plaintiffs in the case include Jim Huff, a former educator from Oklahoma City, as well as retired businessman Donald Chabot, also of Oklahoma City, and former social studies teacher Cheryl Franklin, of Enid.
Legal Documents
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08/20/2013
Prescott v. Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission - Petition for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
Date Filed: 08/20/2013
Affiliate: Oklahoma
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06/30/2015
PRESCOTT V. OKLAHOMA CAPITOL PRESERVATION COMMISSION - Supreme Court of Oklahoma Decision
Date Filed: 06/30/2015
Affiliate: Oklahoma
Press Releases
OKLAHOMA SUPREME COURT ORDERS REMOVAL OF TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT FROM THE STATE CAPITOL GROUNDS
ACLU Challenges Oklahoma State Capitol Ten Commandments Monument