Statue fight gets its day with state's highest court. What was said
Justices questioned whether the $850,000 saints statues are civic symbols or religious icons as they weigh Quincy’s appeal.
- On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments regarding Quincy's plan to install $850,000 statues of St. Michael and St. Florian at a public safety building, questioning whether the display violates government religious neutrality.
- Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned the statues, prompting residents backed by the ACLU to sue last year, arguing the display violates Article III of the Massachusetts Constitution by favoring one religion and leading a lower court to block installation.
- The Becket Fund's Joseph Davis argued the statues serve as professional symbols of courage, while ACLU attorney Jessie Rossman countered that "it's the government using its platform to elevate a religious belief over the other beliefs."
- Justices questioned the "clandestine" nature of Mayor Koch's selection process, with Justice Scott Kafker noting that public art usually involves extensive process, while others weighed how the U.S. Supreme Court might view potential hostility toward religion.
- The court typically issues a written opinion within 130 days of oral arguments; a ruling in Fitzmaurice et al. v. City of Quincy et al. is expected by late summer or early fall.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Quincy argues in front of SJC to install 10-foot patron saint statues at public safety building
“In this country, public art doesn’t become off-limits just because it may make some people think about religion." The post Quincy argues in front of SJC to install 10-foot patron saint statues at public safety building appeared first on Boston.com.
SJC weighs whether Quincy saint statues violate religious freedom laws
The central question: Do the statues represent religious iconography that elevates one sect over another — or are these widely held symbols of inspiration for police officers and firefighters that transcend any particular religion?
ACLU fights archangel Michael statue honoring cops — but court might not normalize 'heckler's veto'
A Massachusetts city in the Greater Boston area commissioned a pair of 10-foot-tall bronze statues heavy with cultural and historical significance to honor police and firefighters outside its new public safety headquarters. Since the statues also carry religious significance — one depicts the winged archangel Michael stepping on the head of a demon, and the other depicts Florian, a third-century firefighting Roman Christian — the American Civil …
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