Decision Day

Update

The Supreme Court Announces Decisions

The supreme court announced decisions in these cases on Monday, June 27.

See the American Atheists Press Release.

Rally on the Steps of Supreme Court
For Ten Commandments Decision
This Monday, June 27, 2005 – 9:00 AM

The U.S. Supreme Court is waiting until the last day of its current session to announce its pivotal decision concerning display of the Ten Commandments on public property.

The ruling could have far-reaching consequences and set the stage for future legal battles over the separation of church and state, as well as disputes over replacement justices on the court.

American Atheists filed amicus briefs in these two important cases. You may read them online: McCreary County v ACLU, and Van Orden v Perry.

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is again inviting all Atheist, Freethought, Secular Humanist and separationist groups to join us on the steps of the Supreme Court this Monday, June 27, 2005 for a rally and program of speakers. This is the final Monday – the day when SCOTUS usually makes public its rulings – for the decisions in VAN ORDEN v. PERRY and McCCREARY COUNTY v. ACLU.

The event begins at 9:00 AM.

Signs and banners provided, or bring your own.
The Supreme Court Building is located at One First St., NE in Washington, DC. It is convenient to the METRO system. The Capitol South station is nearby for those traveling on the Blue or Orange Lines. Union Station is about a 5-6 minute walk for those coming in on AMTRAK or the Red Line. Visit The Official Washington DC Tourism Web Site for full information on Visiting Washington DC.

The building is proximate to the Capitol and Library of Congress. There is only limited parking in the area, so consider taking a taxi or the Metro system.
The Court usually announces its decision before noon on Mondays. Attorneys in the pertinent cases receive little or no notice. Sometimes, there is a news story about a forthcoming decision; but no one can guarantee precisely when the court will make a ruling public.

For more information, contact Rick Wingrove, Virginia State Director for American Atheists at rwingrove@atheists.org.

Other Decision Day Rallies

When the decision is announced...

Let Our Voice be Heard!

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is urging Atheist, Freethought, Secular Humanist and other organizations across the nation to prepare for “Decision Day,” when the U.S. Supreme Court announces its ruling on public display of the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols.

Win or lose, we need to make sure that our voices are heard!

We ask all groups to plan for peaceful, public demonstrations outside their nearest federal courthouse, or some other appropriate venue.

The decision will likely be announced on a Monday morning. There may be some advance media coverage. Also, check this web site for updates.
Plan your demonstration in advance! Make sure that members of your organization and other sympathetic groups know where and when to assemble. Use your mailing lists, group discussions boards, web sites and other outreach media to spread the word!
Make sure that the local media are aware of your demonstration! Fax/e-mail or phone your local newspapers and television/radio outlets. Appoint a spokesperson to deal exclusively with the media.
Have appropriate signs and banners prepared. Also, try to have a hand-out and prepared statement for the media.
The court ruling will be based on two separate cases. Any decision upholding the display of the Commandments on public property is a set-back for the separation of church and state. Obviously, we must then look forward to some future case under a different court that would prohibit such an unfair practice. If the court majority rules against display of the Commandments – a somewhat unlikely scenario – this will further fuel the “American Religious Civil War,” and energize attempts to place judges on the high court that would try to overturn the decision at some future point.

Post your demonstration plans on this web site!

E-mail us with the relevant information and we will place it here.

Amicus Briefs filed by American Atheists

DC Visitor Information

Background Information

SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW PUBLIC DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS COMMANDMENTS

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will examine the contentious issue of Ten Commandments displays on public buildings and lands.

The move surprised legal observers, since the justices have repeatedly shunned appeals of lower court rulings having to do with the Decalogue. In their historic 1980 decision in STONE V. GRAHAM, the court struck down a Kentucky law that called for the display of the Commandments in public school classrooms, describing them as a pre-eminent religious statement.

"The Ten Commandments is undeniably a sacred text in the Jewish and Christian faiths," noted the justices, "and no legislative recitation of a supposed secular purpose can blind us to that fact."

Lower courts, though, have constructed a hodgepodge of conflicting rulings that in some cases permit display of the Commandments, especially when they are "secularized" with historic documents, while banning them in other situations. The Washington Post noted that the quilt-work of legal precedent has generated "protracted legal warfare" over whether permitting Commandments plaques and monuments on public buildings violates the separation of church and state.

Religious groups have argued that the Kentucky decision might apply only to schools, and does not prohibited all government-promoted displays of the code they believe was given to Moses by Jehovah.

Government attorneys have frequently maintained that while the Commandments may have a religious connotation, permitting them in public venues serves a secular purpose by promoting respect for law, or acknowledging their role in the evolution of law. The Supreme Court building in Washington, DC features a frieze of Moses carrying two numbered tablets signifying the Commandments alongside depictions of Hammurabi, Solon and other historical figures.

For nearly a quarter-of-a-century, though, the high court has managed to avoid the issue, and turned down six petitions for legal review having to do with the Commandments. Other issues related to the First Amendment may be driving the court's latest decision. They include a case filed by California Atheist Michael Newdow who argued that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are an unconstitutional endorsement of religious faith, and legislation such as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 that bans any "substantial burden" on religious practices and exercise. Critics say that RLUIPA is a legal "one up" for churches and other houses of worship.

Specifically, the high court will examine two suits having to do with the Commandments' presence on property.

* In VAN ORDEN v. PERRY, a Texas man lost his petition to have a 6-foot monument of the Commandments situated on the grounds of the state Capitol building in Austin removed. The display was donated in 1961 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles as part of a nationwide campaign that placed dozens of similar monuments on public land. In a November, 2003 ruling, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of the cenotaph, saying that the Commandments have "both a religious and secular message," adding that "religion and government cannot be ruthlessly separated."

The appeals court also maintained that the Decalogue represented "a regiment of just governance among free people..."

* In the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, though, justices ruled that McCreary and Pulaski Counties in Kentucky had to remove displays of the Ten Commandments from courthouse walls and that the "predominant purpose for the displays was religious." The case is significant since the donated Commandments plaques were part of a larger presentation including quotations from the Declaration of Independence and Mayflower Compact.

"The government must present the Ten Commandments objectively and must integrate them into a secular message," the court decreed.

(AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)

Get Ready for Decision Day