Van Orden v. Perry
Van Orden v. Perry is a case which was argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on March 2, 2005. At issue is whether a government-sponsored display of the Ten Commandments at the Texas State Capitol in Austin violates the Establishment Clause, part of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In a suit brought by Thomas Van Orden of Austin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in November 2003 that the displays were constitutional, on the grounds that the monument conveyed both a religious and secular message. Van Orden appealed, and in October 2004 the high court agreed to hear the case at the same time as it heard McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, a similar case challenging a display of the Ten Commandments at two county court houses in Kentucky. The appeal of the 5th Circuit's decision was argued by Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar from Duke University, who is representing Van Orden on a pro bono basis.
Texas' case was argued by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. A decision is expected by late June 2005.
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