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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma lawmakers have approved labeling the Ten Commandments a historically significant document in an attempt to allow a monument depicting the biblical text to be displayed on public property.
The move comes in response to a 2015 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that ordered the removal of a privately funded Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of the Capitol. The Oklahoma Constitution prohibits religious displays on public property.
Republican Sen. Micheal Bergstrom of Adair has argued that the Ten Commandments could be displayed "with other historical documents," such as the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
The measure also would require the Oklahoma attorney general to defend legal challenges to such displays.
The House passed the bill Thursday, and the Senate did so last week. It now goes to Gov. Mary Fallin.
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