Significant Supreme Court Rulings
Stone v. Graham (1980)
The court ruled that a Kentucky statute requiring
public schools to post a copy of the Ten Commandments
in every classroom was unconstitutional.
Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)
The court ruled that a Pawtucket, R.I., Christmas display,
which included a crèche as well as more secular
symbols of Christmas, such as a Santa Claus and
reindeer, was permissible.
County of Allegheny v. ACLU (1989)
The court struck down a Christmas crèche displayed
alone inside a courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pa., but upheld
the same city’s broader holiday display that included a
Christmas tree and menorah.
Capitol Square Review Board v. Pinette (1995)
The court ruled that Ohio officials were wrong to
deny the Ku Klux Klan the right to place a large cross
on a public plaza where displays by private citizens
were permitted.
McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky (2005)
The court ruled that the placement of framed copies
of the Ten Commandments in courthouses in two
Kentucky counties was unconstitutional.
Van Orden v. Perry (2005)
The court ruled that a monument inscribed with the
Ten Commandments on the Texas state Capitol
grounds was permissible.
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