Habersham 10 Commandments trial begins Monday

GAINESVILLE - A federal judge in Gainesville is to begin hearing the Ten Commandments suit against the Habersham County Commission Monday.

The commission is being sued over the display of a copy of the Ten Commandments at the Habersham County Courthouse in Clarkesville.

Two Habersham County residents, Bo Turner, the pastor of Tallulah Falls Baptist Church, and Gregg Holder, filed the suit March 27 2002. The ACLU is a party to the suit.

It challenges the constitutionality of having a Ten Commandments plaque at the front entrance of both the Habersham County Courthouse and the county's aquatic center.

The non-jury trial is scheduled to be conducted by U.S. District Judge William C. O'Kelly.

It is one of two similar suits filed against local governments in northeast Georgia. No trial date has been set for the suit filed against the Barrow County Commission.