The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear more arguments in a case in which courts struck down displays of the Ten Commandments in the Pulaski and McCreary County courthouses, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky announced Tuesday.
That is the final appeal in the case, which dates back more than a decade, the ACLU said.
The counties posted copies of the Biblical laws in 1999, but a federal judge said the displays were an improper government endorsement of religion and issued an injunction barring the counties from keeping them on the courthouse walls.
The counties appealed, but higher courts upheld the injunction.
In the latest appeals, the counties argued that other historical documents were posted as part of the displays, such as the Mayflower Compact, to illustrate the foundations of U.S. law and government.
That cured the complaint that the commandments were displayed to promote religion, the counties argued.
The ACLU countered that adding the other documents was a transparent attempt to cover the true motive of the displays.
The U.S. Supreme Court said it would not consider the counties' appeal, the ACLU said in a news release.
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