The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on Rockwall County, Texas, to remove a newly installed Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of the county courthouse.

FFRF’s letter to the Rockwall County Commissioners Court details how the county unanimously approved the monument in May before unveiling it during a public ceremony featuring Christian prayers and speeches from religious and political figures. The monument, rendered in the King James Bible translation, prominently displays explicitly religious commandments, including directives to worship the biblical god exclusively, avoid “graven images” and observe the Sabbath.

“Courthouses are supposed to symbolize equal justice under secular law for all citizens, regardless of religion,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Installing sectarian scripture at the seat of county government sends the message that Christians are favored insiders while non-Christians and nonreligious residents are outsiders.”

The monument’s design and presentation make clear that it is intended to promote Christianity rather than educate the public about history.

“Far from serving a neutral historical purpose, the monument’s approval, presentation and unveiling demonstrate a coordinated governmental effort to promote a particular religious viewpoint,” FFRF Legal Counsel Chris Line writes in the letter.

FFRF notes that the unveiling ceremony itself underscored the monument’s religious nature. The event opened and closed with Christian prayer, featured a representative from First Liberty Institute, a conservative Christian nationalist legal organization, and included remarks from County Judge Frank New encouraging attendees to “embrace God’s love.”

The monument was reportedly donated by the American History & Heritage Foundation, founded by Christian nationalist activist Jason Rapert, who also founded the National Association of Christian Lawmakers.

FFRF argues that the county cannot shield the display from constitutional scrutiny merely by claiming it has historical significance.

“Claims that the Ten Commandments reflect the historical foundations of American law are historically inaccurate,” Line writes. “The United States was founded on secular legal principles derived primarily from English common law, Enlightenment philosophy and classical sources, not biblical mandates.”

FFRF points out that many of the displayed commandments, including “prohibitions on worshiping other gods” and “commands to observe the Sabbath,” are purely religious directives with no basis in American law.

FFRF’s letter distinguishes the Rockwall monument from the Ten Commandments display upheld by the Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry. Unlike the decades-old Texas Capitol monument at issue in that case, the Rockwall display is a newly installed, stand-alone religious monument placed at a courthouse in an overtly religious context.

FFRF is urging the county to remove the display immediately out of respect for the First Amendment and the rights of conscience of all Rockwall County residents.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 42,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including more than 1,700 members and a chapter in Texas. FFRF’s purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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