‘There may be people opposed to it, but there should be no legal battle’ Snookie Faucheux
The Ten Commandments will be displayed in the St. Charles Parish Courthouse as part of a larger display of historical documents after a resolution offered up by Councilman Snookie Fauchex passed unanimously in a regular meeting. In January, council members will discuss and decide precisely when, where and how they’ll display the biblical code of ethics.
Faucheux’s resolution proposed that the Mayflower Compact, the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, and Article I through IV of the Northwest Ordinance be displayed in an “appropriate presentation.”
“All of these documents have religious ties, although I want them placed here more for historical than religous purposes,” Faucheux says.
Faucheux says before putting together his resolution, he studied Louisiana Senate Bill 476 to make sure his proposal would stand up to legal scrutiny in the event someone decides to challenge it.
“These documents we want to display have religious ties and are important to every government entity in America,” Faucheux says.
Bill 476 states that “relative to the religious history of America and of the state of Louisiana … local courthouses … are authorized to post certain documents relative to the history of that heritage.”
Faucheux says: “There may be some people opposed to it, but there should be no legal battle.
“As far as I know, St. Charles Parish is the only parish in the state that is in the process of doing something like this,” he continues.
“Bill 476 was formally made a part of our state’s constitution. We are aware of the separation of church and state, of course, but we feel these documents are essential to the religious ties in our community.
“The Louisiana Senate obviously agrees. After all, they signed the bill,” Faucheux says.
Parish attorney Robert Raymond says the displaying of the Ten Commandments should be legally okay.
“I don’t think we will have any problems with this, but we will have to wait and see,” says Raymond, who declined further comment.
Questions? Comments? Write to reporter Shonna Riggs at editor@heraldguide.com
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