Ten Commandments Backed by Bush Administration in Court Fight [View All]

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aVq7CjVw_3Zc&refer=us

Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The Bush administration, saying that religion ``has played a defining role'' in the nation's history, urged the U.S. Supreme Court to permit Ten Commandments displays in courthouses.

The Justice Department today filed a brief supporting two Kentucky counties accused of violating the constitutional ban on government establishment of religion by posting framed copies of the Ten Commandments.

``Official acknowledgement and recognition of the Ten Commandments' influence on American legal history comport with the Establishment Clause,'' the administration argued in a brief filed with the court in Washington.

The filing came in one of two Ten Commandments cases the high court will review early next year. Hundreds of state and local governments sponsor such displays. The justices are also considering the constitutionality of a monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds.