Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty - 11th Circuit Orders Hearing on Standing in Ten Commandments Case

11th Circuit Orders Hearing on Standing in Ten Commandments Case

Written by Don Byrd

Thursday, 16 August 2012

A lawsuit challenging the Ten Commandments monument in Dixie County, Florida hit a roadblock yesterday when the 11th Circuit ruled the trial court should have held a full hearing on the issue of whether the plaintiff has standing to sue. He claims he would have bought property in the County but declined to because of the presence of the monument. The Appeals Court said it's not clear that's enough.

Doe indicated in his deposition that other factors, in addition to the monument, deterred him from purchasing land in the County.2 Therefore, it is uncertain whether foregoing his real estate search constitutes an “injury” of the type that satisfies standing requirements and whether the monument was the real cause of that alleged “injury.”

The matter goes back to the trial court now for a hearing on the standing issue.

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