OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Three
years after the Republican-controlled Legislature authorized the
erection of a Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds,
the granite display is now in place.
The 6-foot tall monument was set up Thursday on the north side of the state Capitol.
The $10,000 monument was privately funded by Republican state Rep. Mike Ritze, who introduced the bill authorizing it in 2009.
The measure was signed into
law by Democratic Gov. Brad Henry despite arguments from opponents that
it violates provisions of the state and U.S. constitutions that
prohibit laws expressing a religious preference.
The U.S. 10th Circuit Court
of Appeals has ruled a Ten Commandments monument erected on the Haskell
County Courthouse lawn was unconstitutional, but the U.S. Supreme Court
authorized a similar monument at the Texas state Capitol.
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