American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation, Inc. v. Ashbrook

**Court Rules Judge Cannot Display Ten Commandments in Workplace** This case involved a dispute over Judge James DeWeese's display of the Ten Commandments in his Richland County courtroom. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio challenged this display, arguing it violated the constitutional separation of church and state in a government workplace. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the ACLU. The court found that displaying the Ten Commandments in a judge's courtroom violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which prohibits government endorsement of religion. The court upheld a permanent order requiring the judge to remove the religious display from his courtroom. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling reinforces that government employees cannot use their workplace to promote religious messages, even if they hold strong personal beliefs. For workers in government jobs, this confirms that public workspaces must remain religiously neutral. While employees retain their right to personal religious beliefs, they cannot use their official position or government property to display religious materials that could be seen as government endorsement of religion. This protection ensures that all workers and visitors to government facilities are treated equally regardless of their religious background.