Federal judge says Bible must go
HOUSTON -- A federal judge ruled again Monday that a Bible must be
removed from a monument outside the Harris County civil court building, denying
an emergency request by the county to allow the display to remain until appeals
are exhausted.
"The fact that the county has violated the plaintiff's rights
for years does not mean that the violation should be allowed to continue,"
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake wrote. "Moreover, granting a stay would not
serve the public interest."
Linda Mahar, an assistant county attorney, said the issue would be
discussed at a county commissioners meeting today and County Attorney Michael
Stafford would reserve comment until then.
She said a similar request to delay the effect of the ruling has
been submitted to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
Gloria Roemer, a spokeswoman for County Judge Robert Eckels, said
that if the federal appeals court does not reply to the request by the end of
business hours today, the county will have until the end of the day to remove
the Bible, "or else we will be held in contempt."
Eckels said last week that removing the Bible from the monument
would change the monument's meaning.
Kay Staley, a lawyer and real estate broker, sued the county last
August in the wake of a controversy in Alabama surrounding a judge's refusal to
remove a monument bearing the Ten Commandments from that state's judicial
building.
Staley argued that the Bible display was offensive, improperly
advanced Christianity and sent "a message to her and to non-Christians
that they are not full members of the Houston political community."
The county argued that the display was a private expression of free
speech by the Star of Hope, a homeless mission, and that the county should not
be held responsible for its contents.
The Bible has been part of the display outside the courthouse since
1995, when the monument that contains it was refurbished.
It originally was erected in 1956 to honor industrialist William
Mosher for his contributions to homeless programs. Officials at the Star of
Hope said a Bible was placed within the monument to symbolize Mosher's Christian
faith.