City doesn’t have to let Phelps erect anti-gay monument
CASPER, Wyo. — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a Utah case lasy week affirms Casper’s decision not to allow an anti-gay pastor to place a monument in a city park.
The city has placed a Ten Commandments statue donated by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in a plaza along with other monuments of historical significance.
Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas sought to place his own monument that condemns homosexuality in the Casper plaza.
The Casper City Council denied Phelps’ request in 2003 and 2007.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously Wednesday, Feb. 25 that governments receiving monument donations for public parks are not compelled to take everything they are offered. The ruling came in a case from Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Casper had submitted a legal brief endorsing Pleasant Grove’s side in the case.
Information from: Casper Star-Tribune — Casper, www.trib.com