ACLU Oklahoma Files Lawsuit Against Johnston County

OKLAHOMA CITY – Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma announced today that they have filed a lawsuit against the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. The lawsuit seeks removal of a monument to the 10 Commandments that was recently placed on lawn of the county courthouse.

Brady Henderson, Legal Director of ACLU of Oklahoma, said the lawsuit was filed in Johnson County. He said more than a half-dozen Johnson County residents were plaintiffs.

“This isn’t something we take lightly,” Henderson said. “No public official should try and tell residents what they should believe.”

The lawsuit comes just days after a similar monument was removed from the state Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. In that case, an Oklahoma County District Judge forced state officials to remove the monument from the Capitol’s grounds.

The district court’s order followed a ruling in June by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The state’s high court ruled 7-2 the monument’s placement violated the Oklahoma Constitution.

Just hours after the Capitol’s monument was relocated to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, commissioners in Johnston County placed a similar monument on the courthouse lawn.

ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Ryan Kiesel said the organization would continue to push back against attempts by elected officials to force a specific religion on the public.

“No government official has the constitutional authority to use the machinery of government to exploit religion for their own petty political purposes.” Kiesel said. “When the government literally puts one faith on a pedestal, it sends a strong message to Oklahomans of other faiths and those of no faith at all that they are less than equal."