Judge says 10 Commandments monument 'violates' Oklahoma Constitution, orders monument to be taken down
District Judge Thomas Prince ruled last Friday that a Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds is against the Oklahoma Constitution, thus it should be taken down.
The Oklahoma county judge gave state officials only until Oct. 12 to take the 6-foot-high granite monument out of the Capitol's sight.
According to Christian Headlines, the monument, which was first put up in 2009 with personal funds from Oklahoma Rep. Mike Ritze, started to fire controversy when the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma, spearheaded by Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists director Bruce Prescott, said in 2013 that the monument was "unconstitutional."
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The group further pointed to the Oklahoma Constitution, wherein it is written that public property should not be promoting a "church denomination or system of religion."
Judge Prince initially ruled then that the monument was one that held a historical value to the people, as well as a religious one, meaning its historical background gives it the permission to be erected on state capitol property. As expected, the ACLU appealed his decision.
Coming to the rescue, Attorney General Scott Pruitt told the court that the monument should be kept where it is, stating that "The Constitution forbids states from banning all religion from public spaces, and from making churches the ghettos of religion where all manifestations of faith are kept separate from public life." Pruitt added that the religious people of Oklahoma should be given the courtesy of equally participating in the public circle, thus allowing for their history and contributions to be recognized by the society.
Pruitt said keeping the monument on Capitol grounds is a way of showing the religious community that their faith and beliefs are being recognized, and they still have rights to exercise their religious freedom. The motion filed by Pruitt also testified that the Oklahoma Supreme Court's June 30 order to have the monument removed is considered "hostility" toward religion.
However, Judge Prince ultimately scrapped Pruitt's argument, resulting to the ruling that the monument was a violation of the county's constitution.
