by Benson Agoha | United States
The Ten Commandments chiseled into a 6-foot-tall granite monument in the Capitol, Oklahoma must be removed for being religious in nature and for representing an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths, according to the State Supreme Court.
The current 10 commandments monument was only installed in January 2015 as a replacement for a previous one which destroyed by a mentally deranged motorist.
Media reports say the court based the decision on the monument being "obviously religious in nature and are an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths."
The original 10 commandments statue was destroyed in October 2014 after a man who suffers from mental ill-health drove a car to it, destroying it.
The 7-2 ruling overturns a decision by a district court judge who determined the monument could stay. It prompted calls by a handful of Republican lawmakers for impeachment of the justices who said the monument must be removed.
But the ruling may just have opened a new can of warms that will give rise to further challenges because some see it as a historically relevant contribution to western law.
Attorney General, Scott Pruitt was one of those who had argued that the monument was historical in nature and nearly identical to a Texas monument that was found constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Oklahoma justices however, said the local monument violated the state's constitution, not the U.S. Constitution. The Attorney General Office's has filed for a rehearing in the case.
According to Oklahoma's Coko.com News, Private funds were used to erect the monument in 2012. "Since then, others have asked for space, including a Nevada Hindu leader, animal rights advocates, the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a group pushing for a Satan statue", Coco.com says.
Oklahoma Governor, Mary Fallin's representatives said the governor is talking to the Atorney General about the state's legal options over the ruling.
On their part, the Atorney General's representatives said the Attorney General's office will explore legal options after it is finished reviewing the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision.
Below a statement credited to the Atorney General released this statement: “Quite simply, the Oklahoma Supreme Court got it wrong. The court completely ignored the profound historical impact of the Ten Commandments on the foundation of Western law. Furthermore, the court’s incorrect interpretation of Article 2, Section 5 contradicts previous rulings of the court. In response, my office will file a petition with the court for a rehearing in light of the broader implications of this ruling on other areas of state law. Additionally, we are requesting a stay of the enforcement of the court’s order until the court can consider the petition for rehearing. Finally, if Article 2, Section 5 is going to be construed in such a manner by the court, it will be necessary to repeal it.”
* by Benson Agoha (with contributions from Fox News, Oklahoma Coko News).
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