Judge won't dismiss Ten Commandments case

Judge won't dismiss Ten Commandments case
http://www.arcamax.com/religionandspirituality/religiousnews/s-992768-854941

ROANOKE, Va. (UPI) -- A federal judge refused Monday to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a Ten Commandments display in a Virginia public high school.

U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski in Roanoke said the case had too many unknown facts to throw it out.

"Facts matter," The Roanoke Times quoted Urbanski as saying. "You can't just apply a one-size-fits-all because the facts are very different" in various Ten Commandments cases.

The biblical underpinnings for Judeo-Christian religious tenets and morality have been at the center of a recurring U.S. debate over the legality of displaying religious texts on public property.

Urbanski's ruling is a setback for the Giles County School Board, which was sued in September for the Ten Commandments display at Narrows High School in Narrows, the Times said.

The board, represented by the Christian legal group Liberty Counsel, had sought to have Urbanski dismiss the case, arguing the board could not be held responsible for the Ten Commandments display because it played no role -- and provided no funding -- in its placement.

In June, the board voted 3-2 to let a private citizen to rehang the Ten Commandments along with eight historical documents -- including the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence -- as part of a broader presentation on U.S. law and government.

An unidentified student contends in the lawsuit the board's action amounted to a governmental endorsement of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.

As for the student's identity, Urbanski gave lawyers 14 days to work out the details of a protective order sought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit.

The ACLU argued bitter opposition in the community to the lawsuit made it imperative to keep the identity of the student and his or her parent a secret.

Copyright 2011 by United Press International