Red River Freethinkers v. City of Fargo, No. 13-1934 (8th Cir. 2014)
Annotate this CaseThe Red River Freethinkers filed suit challenging a Ten Commandments monument in Fargo, North Dakota. On remand, the district court granted summary judgment to the City and Freethinkers appealed. The court concluded that the monument in this case is permissible under Van Orden v. Perry and ACLU Nebraska Found. v. City of Plattsmouth. The City did not adopt a religious point of view, instead citing legal challenges, the City's interest in ending anguished debate, and the importance of embracing and tolerating all people. By adopting the petition, the City did not necessarily endorse the specific meaning that any particular petitioner sees in the monument. Accordingly, the court affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment for the City, concluding that the monument does not violate the Establishment Clause.
Court Description: Civil case - First Amendment. For the court's prior opinion in the matter, see Red River Freethinkers v. City of Fargo, 679 F.3d 1015 (8th Cir. 2012). District court decision finding a Ten Commandments monument in Fargo permissible under the Establishment Clause is affirmed.
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