Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has allowed legislation that would return the Ten Commandments monument, which was donated by the Kentucky Aerie of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1971 to the State Capitol grounds, to become law without his signature.
The monument was displayed on the Capitol grounds until the 1980s, when it was moved to storage due to a construction project. In 2000, a joint resolution was signed into law requiring it be returned to the Capitol grounds for permanent display near the floral clock, but that never happened due to legal challenges.
In 2002, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court order prohibiting enforcement of the 2000 joint resolution, by applying a test established by the United States Supreme Court in Lemon v. Kurtzman in 1971. As a result, the monument was returned to the Fraternal Order of Eagles and given to the care of the organization’s chapter in Hopkinsville.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Tom Latek and originally published by Kentucky Today.
