Supreme Court turns away Kentucky's Ten Commandments case
The Supreme Court yesterday rejected without comment Kentucky's appeal of a ruling forbidding a large granite display of the Ten Commandments on the Capitol grounds.

In 2001 and 2002, the Supreme Court rejected similar appeals from Indiana, where lower courts prohibited Ten Commandments monuments on the statehouse lawn and outside a city hall. That state, along with nine others, filed briefs supporting Kentucky's appeal. Since federal courts have given mixed rulings on Ten Commandments displays, many are eager for the Supreme Court to clear up the confusion. But it won't be with this case.

"I'm not entirely surprised that they didn't take this case," State Rep. Tom Riner (D-Louisville), told The Courier-Journal of Louisville. Riner, who wrote the legislation to place the monument on the Kentucky Capitol grounds in Frankfort, said the court probably passed because it's waiting for a case about posting the Ten Commandments in schools.

Or it may be that the Kentucky case would have to involve issues beyond simply whether the Ten Commandments can be posted on government property. After all, this monument gave special attention to the words "I AM the LORD thy God," and contained religious symbols, including two Stars of David and "a symbol representing Christ" (Reuters doesn't say what symbol).

Or the Supreme Court might just figure that it's made its decision already. In 1980, it voted 5-to-4 to throw out a Kentucky law that mandated posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.

The other possibility is that the Court is waiting for the most public of the debates: that launched by Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering ...