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Court accepts donated Ten Commandments marker after legal review; location to be decided
Summary
Harrison County commissioners voted 5–0 to accept a donated Ten Commandments granite marker from the First Responders Prayer Force after legal staff identified a Supreme Court decision that would allow such a posting; the court will decide placement after reviewing the final design.
Harrison County commissioners voted unanimously July 1 to accept a donated granite Ten Commandments marker from the First Responders Prayer Force.
The judge noted county counsel had located a Supreme Court decision he said permits posting similar texts on government property, citing examples where such displays appear on federal grounds and at state capitols. Commissioners discussed separation of church and state concerns and whether the monument’s text and design would require review before placement. One commissioner asked whether the display could include broader scriptural language or whether the county should review the physical marker before final placement.
Commissioners discussed possible locations: the courthouse grounds or across the street at the 1963 courthouse near a covered walkway entrance. The court did not designate a final placement in the meeting; it accepted the donation in principle and passed the motion 5–0. The judge said the county would review the proposed marker and pick a location at a later date.
