News Release
For Immediate Release: 1.28.26
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Religious Liberty Scholars Defend the Display of Ten Commandments in the Public Square and Public Schools
The authors argue for the constitutionality of the historic displays that align with the original understanding of the Establishment Clause.
Plano, TX—First Liberty Institute Senior Research Fellow, Director of Religious Liberty in the States, and Regent University Professor Mark David Hall, along with Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, Director of the Conscience Project, recently published an article in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal detailing the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments in the history and tradition of the United States.
You can read the article here.
“There is a long history and tradition of including religious images and language in public spaces and teaching about them in private and public schools,” said Hall. “In recent years, the Court has insisted that the Establishment Clause must be interpreted in light of what it was originally understood to prohibit and considers what is deeply embedded in the history and tradition of this country.”
The authors cite numerous Supreme Court cases including First Liberty Institute’s victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District that overturned the Lemon test, a legal doctrine that undermined religious liberty in our nation for decades. Communities now have new opportunities for displays, education, and monuments reflecting the country’s religious heritage and history. As the Supreme Court has explained, the Ten Commandments “have an undeniable historical meaning,” including “historical significance as one of the foundations of our legal system,” and “[s]uch acknowledgments of the role played by the Ten Commandments in our Nation’s heritage are common throughout America.”
In the article, the authors argue that the “Ten Commandments are of paramount importance to the Jewish and Christian faiths, and they are viewed by many as a source of Western law. In America, they have been (and are) taught in churches and synagogues, and throughout much of this nation’s history they have been taught by parents, tutors, and teachers in private and public schools. They are regularly displayed in courthouses and statehouse grounds, and some states have desired to display them in public schools.”
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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