The dispute over Jesus & Co. hanging in a
It all started in early July, when City Court Judge Jim Lamz publicly refused to remove a 16th century Russian Orthodox painting called “Christ the Savior” and its accompanying message, “To know peace, obey these laws” from the courthouse foyer.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued, arguing that the stand-alone religious display violated the separation of church and state. No doubt following the advice of their lawyers at the Alliance Defense Fund, Tammany Parish officials altered the display just days before the first hearing date.
The new display included Hammurabi, Moses, Confucius, Muhammad (I wonder if the ADF considered how serious an offense many Muslims consider depicting the Prophet?), King John of
I argued in a September blog that “a few more portraits doth not a secular display make,” but Judge Lemelle disagreed. He said the additional portraits remedied the original display’s unconstitutionality.
According to the
OK, it’s something. But I think the display should be dismantled because the case is similar to McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down altered religious displays in two
I don’t buy ADF attorney Mike Johnson’s argument that the Jesus portrait’s purpose in the courthouse was to “use art to emphasize the importance of following the law in order to have a peaceful society.” The additional portraits, Johnson added last September, would “reassure courthouse users or visitors that this is and always has been the legitimate purpose of the display.”
Yeah, right. I think St. Tammany Parish officials erected Jesus & Co. just so Jesus could stay.
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