[File Photo]
OKLAHOMA CITY -
Three years after the
Republican-controlled Legislature authorized the erection of a Ten Commandments
monument on the state Capitol grounds, the granite display is now in place.
The 6-foot tall monument
was set up Thursday on the north side of the state Capitol.
The $10,000 monument was
privately funded by Republican state Rep. Mike Ritze, who introduced the bill
authorizing it in 2009.
The measure was signed
into law by Democratic Gov. Brad Henry despite arguments from opponents that it
violates provisions of the state and U.S. constitutions that prohibit laws
expressing a religious preference.
The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled a Ten
Commandments monument erected on the Haskell County Courthouse lawn was unconstitutional,
but the U.S. Supreme Court authorized a similar monument at the Texas state
Capitol.