Church v State: Giles County decision on Ten Commandments display stirs up fight
On Tuesday, Webb was one of two Giles County School Board members to vote against a historical display for schools that includes the biblical text. The prevailing board majority that voted to hang the display also pledged to fight for the displays in court — a lawsuit is expected soon to challenge the board’s decision.
“This issue creates a great conflict between what is in my heart as opposed to my mind,” Webb said after the vote. “I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of this great country. … Personally, I feel this issue violates the Constitution.”
Free speech legal experts are more torn than Webb on a court case’s possible outcome. At the heart of the case: how a court interprets the school board’s history and motives, they say.
The issues’ two sides are these: Liberty Counsel — a Christian free speech organization advising Giles County — says the historical display, of nine documents, is legal because it focuses on the history of law rather than solely the commandments. In short, the board’s decision was a secular and educational one.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation challenge that the school board’s actions are religious and violate First Amendment rights.