UPDATE: Courthouse Nativity Scene Can Stay In Franklin County

On the heels of a hearing Friday morning in U.S. District Court, the Thomas More Society reached an agreement with the ACLU of Indiana that will allow the nativity scene to remain on the lawn of the Franklin County courthouse.

The agreement was reached on behalf of the two organizations’ respective clients—Franklin County and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

"We're pleased to secure the right to display the nativity scene on the Franklin County Courthouse lawn through Christmas,” Peter Breen, Thomas More Society vice president and senior counsel., said in a statement. “The parties will now litigate the case on a normal schedule, without the threat of an emergency injunction forcing the removal of the nativity scene just before Christmas.”

The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit seeking an immediate injunction against Franklin County over the County’s allowing private citizens to display a nativity scene on the Courthouse lawn. However, County Commissioners approve requests for displays and events in front of the Courthouse from different groups throughout the year, including a child abuse awareness group, garden club, and private citizens who sponsor and set up a nativity scene each year at Christmastime.

Under the agreement, the Franklin County nativity scene will come down the day after Christmas, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation will drop its request for a preliminary injunction against Franklin County, which could have required Franklin County to remove the nativity scene before Christmas.

Contact WFYI reporter Eric Weddle at eweddle@wfyi.org or call (317) 614-0470. Follow on Twitter: @ericweddle.