Tarrant County has hired attorneys amid a "legal threat" over its Ten Commandments monument installed on the county courthouse lawn.
County commissioners, in a 3-2 vote Tuesday, approved a contract with the conservative, nonprofit legal group First Liberty Institute to represent them over claims the monument violated the First Amendment.
Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles, Jr. voted against the proposal.
Freedom from Religion Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on promoting separation of church and state, sent a letter to Tarrant County Jan. 20 claiming the monument is unconstitutional and is asking for it to be moved off building grounds.
The letter was sent after the group received multiple complaints over the monument from Tarrant County residents, Chris Line, legal counsel for FFRF, told KERA News on Tuesday.
"We have freedom of religion in this country, not freedom to be Christian," Line said. "These types of things are just meant to pander to a Christian base while kind of telling the rest of Texans to screw off, which is really inappropriate."
The monument display was unveiled during a ceremony in January, bringing in both supporters and protesters.
The resolution was proposed by commissioner Matt Krause last year. Krause helps with First Liberty Institute's Restoring Faith in America initiative.
In a phone call with KERA News on Monday, he said he was disappointed by FFRF's "unfounded allegations."
"It didn't surprise me at that Freedom From Religion Foundation would make these kinds of claims," Krause said. "But it also did not bother me at all from a constitutional perspective because I know their assertions and allegations and they're incorrect."
Krause previously worked as legal counsel for First Liberty and has been vocal over his support for state laws requiring Ten Commandments be displayed in school classrooms, including Texas and Louisiana.
Simmons, who voted against the initial proposal of the monument last year, said she could not support this because hiring First Liberty could make the county look like it's establishing Christianity.
While the representation from First Liberty is free, Tarrant County would have to pay for any damages if a lawsuit is filed and the county loses — something Simmons said would be a waste of taxpayer dollars.
"Instead of spending our time and resources defending a monument that divides people and exposes taxpayers to legal risk, let's focus on solving the real problems facing our community, our county," Simmons said.
Krause said he doesn't anticipate a lawsuit will be filed but believes the county should partner with the group to help respond to the letter.
"I think it would be foolish to not listen to the experts who understand this," Krause said.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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