The US Supreme Court has ruled against the display of the Ten Commandments in courthouses after saying they violated the doctrine of separation of church and state.
The court upheld the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on government land but said exhibits in which religious content is overemphasised are unconstitutional.
In effect, the court said it was taking the position that issues of Ten Commandments displays in courthouses should be resolved on a case-by-case basis.
But the justices voting on the prevailing side in the Kentucky case left themselves legal room to manoeuvre, saying that some displays inside courthouses - like their own courtroom frieze - would be permissible if they are portrayed neutrally to honour the nation's legal history.
However, framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses went too far in endorsing religion, the court held. Those courthouse displays are unconstitutional, the justices said, because their religious content is overemphasised.
In contrast, a six-foot granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol - one of 17 historical displays on the 22-acre lot - was determined to be a legitimate tribute to the nation's legal and religious history.
The rulings were the court's first major statement on the Ten Commandments since 1980, when justices barred their display in public schools. But the high court's split verdict leaves somewhat unsettled the role of religion in American society, a question that has become a flashpoint in US politics.
AP