Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
Case Date: 02/25/2009
|
Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, 555 U.S. 460 (2009), is a legal case heard by the United States Supreme Court on 12 November 2008 and decided on 25 February 2009. The court considered whether the municipality of Pleasant Grove, Utah, which allows privately donated monuments, including one of the Ten Commandments, to be displayed on public property, must also let the Summum church put up its own statue, similar in size to the one of the ten commandments.[1] Some court-watchers, including the New York Times editorial board, believe the Court should rule that the United States Constitution does not allow government to favor one religion over another.[2] Arguing for the petitioner (the City of Pleasant Grove) was Jay Alan Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), and for the Summum, attorney Pamela Harris of the firm O’Melveny & Myers. The ACLJ was expected to argue that there should be a distinction between government speech and private speech and though the government should have the right to display the 10 Commandments, it should not have to endorse all private speech. [3]
|