.....Michael Johnson, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund (said) “The ACLU is proclaiming a win, but they really didn't accomplish anything. Their objective was to get the Jesus picture taken down, and it's still prominently displayed,".....

CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, APRIL 24, 2008

Slidell, LA - U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit alleging that a lone painting of Jesus in the Slidell, Louisiana courthouse is unconstitutional, Cybercast News Service reports.

However, the picture remains on display.

The image is now flanked by images based on the frieze of the United States Supreme Court, which includes other historic figures such as Hammurabi, Moses, Confucius, Mohammed, Charlemagne, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The modified display is expected to pass constitutional requirements.

Some experts said the case is unique because the picture of Jesus is still on display.

“This is the first case I know of that upholds a display of a picture of Jesus," Douglas Laycock, professor of constitutional law at the University of Michigan Law School, said to Cybercast News Service. "It is significant."

The ACLU had argued that the plaintiffs, “John Doe” and others, "have suffered, or shall suffer, damages, including mental anguish and emotional distress" from viewing the image.”

Judge Lemelle awarded only $1 in damages, which Laycock said was significant. "The judge wasn't persuaded by that 'trauma' if he only awarded a dollar," he said. The city will also have to pay the ACLU’s legal expenses.

Michael Johnson, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group that defended the city, said the ADF is “disappointed” with the ruling, but called it a “shallow victory” for the ACLU.

“The ACLU is proclaiming a win, but they really didn't accomplish anything. Their objective was to get the Jesus picture taken down, and it's still prominently displayed," Johnson said.....CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE......