ACLJ Welcomes Nebraska Attorney General in Defending 10 Commandments from ACLU Suit July 6, 2001 (Virginia Beach, VA) – The American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm, said today it welcomes the participation of the Office of Attorney General in Nebraska in defending a monument of the Ten Commandments in the City of Plattsmouth, Nebraska which has been sued by the ACLU to remove the long-standing monument. “This is the first case we are aware in which a state Attorney General has moved to intervene in a case defending the public display of the Ten Commandments,” said Frank Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ, which is representing the City of Plattsmouth. “The Attorney General’s position underscores our defense of the display – that the Ten Commandments have played a vital role in the development of western law and are a part of our nation’s culture and heritage. The fact that the Attorney General’s office wants to get involved in the case clearly shows the importance of this issue extends well beyond the City of Plattsmouth. We welcome the participation of the Attorney General’s office and hope the court will grant the motion to intervene in this most important case.” The ACLJ announced in May that it has agreed to represent the City of Plattsmouth in defending its monument of the Ten Commandments, which has been displayed in a park since 1965. As it does with all of its clients, the ACLJ is representing the City of Plattsmouth free of charge. In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Omaha on July 2nd and received today by the ACLJ, the Office of Attorney General asks the court for permission to intervene in the case as a defendant because the state “has a direct and immediate interest in protecting religious displays in the Nebraska State Capitol building” which will be directly affected by the outcome of the Plattsmouth case. In its brief in support of the motion to intervene, the Attorney General’s office notes the State Capitol Building contains numerous religious inscriptions and images that could be challenged on the same grounds – including two ornamental light fixtures in the Supreme Court Room containing a symbolic representation of the Ten Commandments. The Attorney General’s office concludes that the State of Nebraska “has a strong legal interest in helping this court shape the proper legal test within the U.S. Supreme Court precedents that will protect the integrity of the State Capitol Building and the religious depictions which are located therein.” “It is both sad and troubling that the ACLU is conducting a campaign to remove these long-standing, historical displays from communities across the nation,” said Manion. “At the same time, it is both refreshing and encouraging to see the Office of Attorney General in the state of Nebraska want to step in to defend the display in Plattsmouth. There is nothing unconstitutional with the city’s display of the Ten Commandments.” The ACLJ is involved in a national effort to defend the public display of the Ten Commandments in communities across America. The ACLJ is involved in more than ten cases involving challenges to those displays – including the representation of an Ohio state judge who has been sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. The American Center for Law and Justice is an international public interest law firm that focuses on pro-family, pro-life, and pro-liberty cases. The ACLJ is headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA and its web site address is www.aclj.org.