Ten Commandments cost Haskell County $199,000

[RecycleMichael]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=18&articleid=20100727_12_0_TheAme135936

Haskell County settles Ten Commandments lawsuit


The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and Haskell County have reached a settlement in regards to the Ten Commandments monument, said state deputy director Chuck Thornton.

Haskell County must pay the ACLU of Oklahoma $199,000, covering all costs and attorney fees, Thornton said.

"We were pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with the Haskell County commissioners," Thornton said. "The constitution has been vindicated. We believe the interest of our clients has been vindicated."

Kevin Theriot of the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing the Haskell County commissioners, confirmed that the settlement was reached last week, but said they had no comment in regard to the settlement.

Thornton said the terms of the settlement include:


•The settlement can be paid out over a 10-year period
•The plaintiff (ACLU of Okahoma) must forego the sale of the judgement to a third party for at least 60 days
•Haskell County has the first-refusal of sale of the judgement right
•Both parties agree to execute a release of all claims upon the entry of a judgement


In March, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a federal appellate ruling that a government-sponsored Ten Commandments monument placed on Haskell County's courthouse lawn is unconstitutional and must be removed.

By rejecting an appeal by the commissioners of Haskell County and declining to review the case, the Supreme Court left undisturbed a unanimous June 2009 decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that the county commissioners advanced their personal religious beliefs by erecting the monument, according to an ACLU release.

The ACLU and the ACLU of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit challenging the display of the monument in October 2005, a little over a year after the Haskell County Board of Commissioners approved its placement on the county courthouse lawn.

The 8-foot-by-3-foot granite slab monument moved on March 17 from the Haskell County courthouse lawn to a spot about a block east onto private property belonging to American Legion Post 22.

[Conan71]

I fail to see how the ACLU was harmed.  How do you affix some sort of monetary award to it?  It's not even still on public land.

[swake]

I fail to see how the ACLU was harmed.  How do you affix some sort of monetary award to it?  It's not even still on public land.

I think the award was only for the costs to the ACLU to press the case, I don't see where there are damages.

[Townsend]

I fail to see how the ACLU was harmed.  How do you affix some sort of monetary award to it?  It's not even still on public land.

It covered their costs and legal fees.

edit: and Swake takes it by a nose

[nathanm]

I wonder when people running local governments will realize that they can't just go plopping religious symbols on government property at taxpayer expense? If they're hell bent on doing it, they could at least make it an interfaith historical monument, which might actually pass Constitutional muster.

[Townsend]

I wonder when people running local governments will realize that they can't just go plopping religious symbols on government property at taxpayer expense? If they're hell bent on doing it, they could at least make it an interfaith historical monument, which might actually pass Constitutional muster.

Sing it with me...O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

[swake]

Years ago on the Daily Show Stephen Colbert interviewed one of these bozos trying to get the Ten Commandments installed in front of a government building. Stephen asked the fool to name any of the Ten Commandments. The bozo could not. Too funny.

[Ed W]

What gets me is that people decry the imaginary imposition of Sharia law in this state, but don't hesitate to promulgate Christianity with a monument like this, and then they fail to see the irony.

[Conan71]

I wonder when people running local governments will realize that they can't just go plopping religious symbols on government property at taxpayer expense? If they're hell bent on doing it, they could at least make it an interfaith historical monument, which might actually pass Constitutional muster.

It's a stimulus package for attorneys.

[Red Arrow]

Years ago on the Daily Show Stephen Colbert interviewed one of these bozos trying to get the Ten Commandments installed in front of a government building. Stephen asked the fool to name any of the Ten Commandments. The bozo could not. Too funny.

Maybe that's why they need the 10 C displayed in a public place, so they don't have to remember them.

[Breadburner]

It's a stimulus package for attorneys.

The nine incher knocks it out of the park......

[heironymouspasparagus]

That's actually,  O K L A C O M A.

[runfromtulsa]

The bible crowd can't get it into their head that erecting monuments of the ten commandments on public property is ILLEGAL.  Heck, they can't even understand how ILLEGAL mexicans are ILLEGAL as they steal our welfare benefits.  It's just too complex for them to understand, poor things. 

I'm sorry Randy Brogdon won't be able to run for governor, so we can see how far up a birth canal he can stick his Republican head to worry about every woman's fetus.  Talk about judgemental....geez..

I say give the Republicans carte blanche and watch us sink to the bottom of every good poll and rise to the top of every bad one. It's already happened anyway, so how could it get worse?

It's kind of like liquor by the drink; Will Rogers said Oklahomans will never vote wet, until they can stagger to the polls.

Maybe if everyone voted for Republicans like Randy Brogdon and Mike Reitze, they'd be so disgusted by their actions (think Tulsa City Council) they'd never vote Republican again. I used to be a Republican until I saw the light of repression represented by planks in their platforms...good luck Log Cabin Repubican fools....

Oh yeah, and you can forget the Brady District, Ball Park, and BOK Arena (and downtown) being a "fun" destination under our present leadership.

It'll be a revenue source for the police department who can arrest ballpark and concert fan goers and book them five minutes away for "public drunk" (which requires no proof on the part of the police) or "DUI" or "Physical Possession of Car Keys".   What a bonanza for the newly hired again police.  I think I'll sell tickets to watch Al Storey tow cars at the ballpark or BOK arena.

This is a sorry state, just look at national polls if you don't believe it.  The ONLY thing good here is the poor economy that never takes a beating because it never produces money in good times.

[patric]

Oh yeah, and you can forget the Brady District, Ball Park, and BOK Arena (and downtown) being a "fun" destination under our present leadership.
It'll be a revenue source for the police department who can arrest ballpark and concert fan goers and book them five minutes away for "public drunk" (which requires no proof on the part of the police) or "DUI" or "Physical Possession of Car Keys".   What a bonanza for the newly hired again police.  I think I'll sell tickets to watch Al Storey tow cars at the ballpark or BOK arena.

Ill admit we dont have a very tourism-friendly mindset, but I dont know of an easy fix, either.

[bugo]

I wonder when people running local governments will realize that they can't just go plopping religious symbols on government property at taxpayer expense? If they're hell bent on doing it, they could at least make it an interfaith historical monument, which might actually pass Constitutional muster.

+1