Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Blocks Installation of Religious Statues on Government Building

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has unanimously upheld a preliminary injunction preventing the city of Quincy from installing two 10-foot-tall bronze statues of Catholic saints on a new government building. The statues, depicting Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Florian, were intended for the building's façade at an estimated cost of $850,000.

Writing for the court, Justice Scott L. Kafker noted that while the figures hold both religious and secular significance, their strong association with the Catholic faith could lead the public to perceive the display as an endorsement of a specific religion. The court concluded that the plaintiffs, an interfaith group of residents, demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that the city’s actions could violate constitutional requirements for government neutrality.

The ruling affirms the lower court's decision to block the installation while the underlying lawsuit proceeds in Norfolk Superior Court. Legal representatives for the plaintiffs, including the ACLU of Massachusetts, praised the decision, emphasizing the state constitution's mandate that the government remain neutral regarding religious matters.