Battle over Ten Commandments persists

FARGO, N.D., July 23 (UPI) -- Fargo, N.D., officials argued this week that a group of "freethinkers" has no legal standing to challenge a Ten Commandments display at City Hall.

The battle over the monument has been going on for several years, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Last year, the Red River Freethinkers filed a federal lawsuit, arguing the monument violates the constitutional ban on an established church.

The lawsuit argues the monument has made the Freethinkers feel "exclusion, discomfort and anger." The motion for dismissal filed this week says that is no reason to remove the monument.

The most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on Ten Commandments monuments and displays found that they are permissible if their purpose is not primarily religious.