An Arkansas commission has approved a privately-funded display of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state Capitol.
The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission voted Thursday to approve the monument, which weighs more than 6,000 pounds and is more than 6 feet tall, according to the Associated Press.
Last week’s approval was largely a formality. In 2015, the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation allowing a display of the Ten Commandments to mark their influence in American law, but at no expense to the state.
The Arkansas-based American History and Heritage Foundation raised more than $26,000 for the monument, which is set to be installed next month.
“This is part of who we are, it’s history,” Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert told reporters at the Capitol. Rapert sponsored the 2015 legislation in the General Assembly.
The monument is a replica of one at the Texas Capitol that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005. Even so, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas has threatened to sue.
[…] Arkansas monument was installed on Tuesday, having gone through a final stage of approval last month. The approval by the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission was largely a formality […]