Oklahoma responds to ACLU lawsuit opposing Ten Commandments monument at Capitol
By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau on Sep 14, 2013, at 2:29 AM Updated on 9/14/13 at 4:16 AM
Local
The convenience store chain was the sole distributor of the 50-cent stickers residents were required to place on bags of extra yard waste.
The plaintiff alleged in a lawsuit that he was made to perform pushups to avoid a ticket or jail.
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OKLAHOMA CITY - The plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds are not proper parties to bring suit, the state claims in a brief filed Friday in Oklahoma County District Court.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma in August sued on behalf of four plaintiffs seeking to have the monument removed. The ACLU alleges that the monument, owned by the state and placed on state property, "conveys an explicit religious message that supports and endorses the faiths and creeds of some churches and sects."
The ACLU suit says that because no other monuments are around it, the state is endorsing and supporting its religious message.
The state's response brief says the Capitol Preservation Commission, the defendant in the case, identified the location on the north side of the building for the beginning phase of a park in which additional monuments would be added.
Attorney General Scott Pruitt's office is defending the Capitol Preservation Commission in the case. A spokeswoman for Pruitt said the office will provide more details about why it believes the plaintiffs lack standing in later court filings.
The monument was paid for with $10,000 donated by Broken Arrow Republican Rep. Mike Ritze and his family plus $10,000 raised privately.
The Capitol Preservation Commission oversaw its placement on the north side of the Capitol in November.
The monument was authorized by a 2009 measure signed by former Gov. Brad Henry. Ritze was the House sponsor of the measure, House Bill 1330.
Brady Henderson, the ACLU of Oklahoma's legal director, said he is confident the plaintiffs have standing to bring the lawsuit because they are taxpayers and residents of Oklahoma, he said.
Barbara Hoberock 405-528-2465
barbara.hoberock@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: State responds to ACLU lawsuit
Local
The convenience store chain was the sole distributor of the 50-cent stickers residents were required to place on bags of extra yard waste.
The plaintiff alleged in a lawsuit that he was made to perform pushups to avoid a ticket or jail.
CONTACT THE REPORTER
405-528-2465
Email
