This Christmas, a Nativity scene was set to be on display at the Franklin County Courthouse in Brookville, Indiana, as it has been for close to 50 years. Thanks to a legal settlement, however, the three wise men will also have to share space with a separate display showing the Bill of Rights on a manger. The Indianapolis Star reports that a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana over that Nativity scene has been dismissed, with the condition that Franklin County will allow local residents and churches to erect nonreligious displays outside the courthouse.
Nonresidents can also apply for a permit to put up a display, but they must have a local contact. The suit was filed on behalf of Freedom From Religion Foundation in Wisconsin and The Satanic Temple, a group based in Massachusetts. It is the second suit to be filed over the Nativity scene in as many years. — Richard Binder
