Court’s Ten Commandments Plaque Is Ordered Removed
A federal judge Wednesday ordered county officials to remove an 82-year-old Ten Commandments plaque from a courthouse, calling it an unconstitutional display of the biblical text.
The 50-by-39-inch bronze plaque at the Chester County Courthouse is inscribed with a version of the Ten Commandments from the King James version of the Bible.
“The tablet’s necessary effect on those who see it is to endorse or advance the unique importance of this predominantly religious text for mainline Protestantism,” U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell said.
His ruling came after a two-day trial that included testimony from theologians and members of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, which describes itself as a group of atheists, agnostics, humanists and others.
County officials said they would consider an appeal.
“Our display of the Ten Commandments plaque is entirely consistent with the original intent” of the 1st Amendment, said County Commissioner Colin Hanna.
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