IL NEWS for www.theindianalawyer.com
A southeastern Indiana county that was at the center of a legal battle over a Nativity scene on its courthouse lawn will allow a mix of religious and secular displays this holiday season, including a manger holding the Bill of Rights.
The Indianapolis Star reports the Franklin County courthouse, 70 miles southeast of Indianapolis, also will include other secular displays, such as winter solstice banners. The displays result from a lawsuit filed last December by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation arguing the privately owned Nativity scene violated the First Amendment because it represents an endorsement of religion.
A judge ruled in September there’s no proof of a constitutional violation and said any alleged misconduct was corrected when county officials enacted an ordinance permitting public use of the lawn.
