Local display moves ahead

A split decision Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court on the Ten Commandments won't derail efforts to build an "Evolution of Law" display at the Flathead County Courthouse.

County Commissioner Gary Hall said final bids for the project are currently being solicited. He expected the project to be finished sometime during fiscal year 2006, which begins July 1.

The display will be funded entirely with donated money. It will feature a number of major legal documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. and Montana constitutions.

The idea for the project came about last year when Americans United for Separation of Church and State threatened to sue the county if it didn't remove the Ten Commandments monument near the courthouse entrance.

The Washington, D.C., advocacy group said it had received complaints from unnamed citizens who felt the monument violated the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state.

The original display was donated by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles about 40 years ago.

A temporary Evolution of Law display, built around the Ten Commandments monument, was unveiled in April 2004. It was donated by the Exchange Club of Kalispell.

The permanent display will have plaques containing the legal documents mounted on stone monuments. The Eagles are raising money for that project, which has an estimated cost of $6,000 to $7,000.

Hall said the organization put its fund raising on hold temporarily, awaiting the Supreme Court decision. However, once final bids are received, fund raising will resume.

"We're moving forward," he said. "All we're waiting for is the final bids."

Hall said Monday's Supreme Court decisions don't resolve the issue of whether or how local governments can display the Ten Commandments.

"In Texas, [the court] allowed it because it was part of an evolution of law display, similar to what we're doing," he said. "But they didn't really clear it up for anyone."

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com