Louisville, USA - Two attorneys have been awarded more than $44,000 in fees after winning a battle over the public display of the Ten Commandments at a Kentucky courthouse.
U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley said attorneys David Friedman and William E. Sharp, both of whom argued the case for the American Civil Liberties Union, should split $44,208 after winning a permanent injunction keeping the text out of the courthouse.
"Because there are no special circumstances which would render an award of attorneys fees unjust, the plaintiffs are entitled to an award of attorney fees...," McKinley wrote.
McKinley also awarded the attorneys court costs of $3,252.
Friedman and Sharp represented two citizens, Raymond Harper and Ed Meredith, who sued in 2001 claiming the intent of displaying the commandments in a public building was religious and violated the Constitution. In March, McKinley granted a permanent injunction barring the display of the Ten Commandments as part of a "Foundations of American Law and Government" display.
No public money was used to set up the display in the county courthouse in Leitchfield, about 75 miles southwest of Louisville.