The Ten Commandments will soon make their return to the Monroe County Courthouse.
The ancient documents used to be on display in the Madisonville building seven years ago, but were eventually taken down when the Supreme Court ruled in a similar McCreary County, Kentucky case that such acts endorsed religion.
Monroe County Mayor Tim Yates has decided to put the documents back on display due to a new state law Governor Bill Haslam signed in April. The legislation made it legal for the 10 Commandments to be placed in public so long as they were presented in a historical context, alongside other historical documents.
Yates said Monroe County will put the Ten Commandments next to other documents like the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.
"What we're doing is displaying these as historical documents," Yates said.
He said the commandments will be placed on the wall next to his office on the courthouse's first floor. He said they will likely unveil all of the documents by the end of next week.
While some Monroe County residents said they were excited to hear the Ten Commandments would return, not everyone was happy.
The Wisconsin-based group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation [FFRF], said the new state law violates the constitution and that the Ten Commandments are not a historical document.
"It is phony to equate the Ten Commandments with foundational documents on juris prudence," said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.