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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2008 3:59 PM	CONTACT: Americans United for The Separation of Church & State (202) 466-3234

Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Controversy Over Religious Symbols On Public Property Utah Religious Group Seeks To Place Its 'Seven Aphorisms' Beside The Ten Commandments

WASHINGTON, DC - March 31 - The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear a Utah dispute that centers on the display of religious symbols on public property. Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the case brings the high court back into a confusing and controversial area of constitutional law. Pleasant Grove City v. Summum deals with a religious group called Summum, which sought to erect its “Seven Aphorisms” alongside a Ten Commandments monument in a public park in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The group said city officials cannot constitutionally approve the Commandment display while excluding other monuments. A federal appeals court agreed, holding that it violates freedom of speech for government to allow one group’s message on public property and exclude another. “If government creates an open forum, it can’t pick and choose among religions,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “Government officials could have avoided this controversy by refusing to put up the Ten Commandments in the first place.” Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. ###

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