(INDIANAPOLIS) - A Ten Commandments monument could be placed at the Indiana Statehouse for the first time in 25 years if a federal court lifts a long-standing injunction blocking its installation. The monument, which also includes the Bill of Rights and the Preamble to the Indiana Constitution, has been barred from Statehouse grounds since a court order issued in 2000. The display was donated by the Indiana Limestone Institute and is currently located in Bedford.
State officials have asked a federal judge to dissolve the injunction, arguing that legal standards used in the original ruling have changed.
The filing cites recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions allowing religious texts on public property when presented as part of broader historical or cultural displays. Supporters argue the monument reflects foundational texts that influenced American law and should be viewed as historical rather than religious. If the court grants the request, the monument would be relocated to its originally intended site at the Indiana Statehouse. The court has not yet ruled.