Attorney General Russell Coleman celebrated the return of an historic Ten Commandments monument to the Kentucky Capitol last week.
The monument, which was originally displayed at the Capitol in 1971, honors the immense historical significance of the Ten Commandments to the founding of the Commonwealth and the nation.
“The Ten Commandments are at the heart of America’s history and founding, so it is only right that they also sit at the heart of our Commonwealth’s Capitol grounds,” said Attorney General Coleman. “After several decades, we have returned this monument to its rightful place, and I’m grateful to Representative Baker and the entire General Assembly for taking this important step to uphold our history. We also owe a debt of gratitude to our Solicitor General Matt Kuhn for not only locating this monument but also for working for years to bring it back to Frankfort.”
In February, Attorney General Coleman published a formal Attorney General’s Opinion, which found that the Ten Commandments could be displayed in public school classrooms and the Capitol grounds without violating the First Amendment.
Following the Opinion, the General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 15, sponsored by Representative Shane Baker (R-Somerset), to move the monument back to the Capitol grounds.
“I am pleased to see this historic Ten Commandments monument returned to its rightful place,” said Rep. Baker. “The Ten Commandments have widely recognized historical significance in the history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation. This monument is part of an old tradition of public monuments and displays that acknowledge the Ten Commandments’ role in our heritage.”
Throughout the history of the United States, the Ten Commandments have held historical significance as one of the foundations of our legal system. The early legal code is even depicted in the U.S. Supreme Court and other prominent buildings in the Nation’s capital.
In 2000, the ACLU sued to prevent the continued display of the Ten Commandments at the Capitol. In granting the motion, the judge relied on a now-defunct rule called the “Lemon test.” The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that standard in 2022 paving the way for the monument’s return.