A Ten Commandments monument donated to Kentucky decades ago has been restored as a permanent fixture at the state Capitol grounds, First Liberty, a faith-based non-profit legal group reports.
The return of the granite monument to the Monument Park in Frankfort, Kentucky, comes after the passage of House Joint Resolution 15 (HJR-15) earlier this year, which directed the monument’s return to public display.
The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3423 donated the monument to the Commonwealth in 1971, but it was moved to a storage unit in the 1980s due to surrounding construction.
Its return was previously blocked by a court order based on the now-defunct “Lemon test,” Liberty Counsel explained in a press statement. Courts previously used the Lemon test as a way to determine if laws or practices violated the First Amendment clause that protects religious freedom while also prohibiting the government from establishing religion.
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First Liberty represented the Fraternal Order of Eagles in the legal battle to get the monument restored. According to the legal group, the U.S. Supreme Court first rejected the Lemon test in 2019 and later in 2022 “abrogated Lemon entirely and mandated that the Establishment Clause be understood and applied by original meaning, history, and tradition.”
“We congratulate the people of Kentucky for restoring a part of their history,” said Roger Byron, Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “There is a long tradition of public monuments like this one that recognize the unique and important role the Ten Commandments have played in state and national history. The people of Kentucky can now enjoy their monument whenever they visit their Capitol.”
Leaders of the fraternal order say they are pleased to have the historic monument in its rightful place.
“We are thrilled to return the Ten Commandments monument to the Commonwealth and have it back where it belongs. The Eagles have donated over 100 Ten Commandments monuments to state and local governments over the years, and we’re glad to have ours back on the state Capitol grounds, its historic location,” said Vic Jeffries, trustee of Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3423.
Other community groups are celebrating the monument’s reinstallation, including the Family Foundation, which strongly supported the legislation to bring it back.
“We are thrilled to see the historic Ten Commandments monument returned to its proper place on the grounds of the Kentucky Capitol,” said David Walls, president of The Family Foundation. “I am grateful to State Rep. Shane Baker and the Kentucky House and Senate for passing HJR 15 to restore this important monument. The Ten Commandments have had an immense impact on American history and on the legal and moral principles that made our country and Commonwealth so strong throughout history.”
“Today is a great day for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and I pray that the Lord will use this monumental and historic occasion to lead Kentuckians back to the Biblical principles and values that our society was built upon,” he added.
