On June 9, 2025, FFRF and a coalition of partners filed a lawsuit on behalf of multifaith and nonreligious residents of Jefferson County, Illinois, seeking removal of a seven-foot-tall Ten Commandments monument from the Jefferson County Courthouse lawn.
The monument was first placed in the courthouse lobby in 2024 by Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard. The monument was later moved to the front lawn of the courthouse. The lawsuit alleged that public dollars were used to relocate the monument to its current outdoor location.
The plaintiffs—both religious and nonreligious Jefferson County residents—argued that the monument violated the constitutional principle of religious freedom and undermined the rights of all county residents regardless of their faith or lack thereof.
The lawsuit was filed in Illinois’ 2nd Judicial Circuit, following the Board of Commissioners’ decision to retain the monument on county property.
On July 29th, 2025 a joint motion to dismiss was filed and affirmed “the monument will not return to county property.” During a meeting in late June, immediately after the lawsuit was filed, members of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted to remove the Ten Commandments monument from County property. In July 2025, the monument was relocated to the West Salem Trinity Church in Mount Vernon.
The plaintiffs were represented by the ACLU, the ACLU of Illinois, and FFRF. Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover and Legal Fellow Hirsh M. Joshi were serving as co-counsel.
