High Court Won´t Touch "Ten Commandments" Case

The court did not comment in refusing today to hear an appeal from Indiana Governor Frank O´Bannon, who wanted to erect a 7-foot stone monument on the Statehouse grounds in Indianapolis. O´Bannon said the Ten Commandments represent tenets of American law as much as religious teachings.

The court´s action leaves in place a jumble of conflicting court rulings across the country that allow the Ten Commandments´ display in some instances but not in others. It was the second time in less than a year that the court had skirted the Ten Commandments issue.

Last May, the court divided over whether to hear another case testing whether a different Ten Commandments monument could be displayed outside a civic building. The court opted not to hear the case, but three justices took the rare step of announcing that they would have agreed to hear it.