FAYETTE COUNTY OFFICIALS SAY NATIVITY SCENE IS CONSTITUTIONAL

  

Fayette County officials say their courthouse nativity scene that came under fire last week is not unconstitutional, despite an organization calling it an “endorsement for Christianity”.

According to the Fayette County Recorder, Judge Ed Janecka says the county’s attorney advised him that the nativity scene is constitutional because it is accompanied by other secular holiday displays.

The courthouse lawn display includes a Santa, reindeer, and a sign that reads, “Happy Holidays”. Janecka says the variation of holiday decorations shows that the county does not endorse any specific religion.

Fayette County made national news last week after the American Humanist Association (AHA) sent a letter to Judge Janecka demanding the removal of the scene. AHA cited several cases of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that nativity scenes at courthouses are a violation of the separation of church and state. In 2015, the AHA won a lawsuit against Baxter County, Arkansas for a Christian display at a courthouse.

Fayette County workers are set to remove the scene on January 3rd, putting it into storage until next year.