An Indiana county has taken a wisely secular action in response to FFRF’s complaint.
After opening its courthouse lawn to an FFRF display and a variety of religious panoramas last winter, Franklin County has passed a new ordinance prohibiting all private exhibits on its courthouse lawn. Commissioners cited “interference with the courthouse operations” and the “unexpected undue burden” on county resources as the reasons for closing the forum.
FFRF suspects that the actual motive of the Franklin County commissioners may have been a bit more complicated.
“I assume that the real reason they’re closing the forum is because the lawn became such a circus once it became widely known that anyone could place a display there,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Last winter, they tolerated about a dozen Christian exhibits. FFRF’s Winter Solstice banner, which was slashed to ribbons and replaced, was actually one of the most season-appropriate displays on the lawn.”
“We’re pleased to learn that after six years of letter writing and two lawsuits, Franklin County has finally done what we first requested in 2010,” notes FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover. “Limiting use of the courthouse lawn to government displays should ensure that the lawn remains an open and welcoming space for all community members to enjoy—regardless of their religious or nonreligious beliefs.”
