In October 2025, a Massachusetts judge ordered the City of Quincy to hold off on the installation of statues of Catholic saints outside their new public safety headquarters. In May, a multifaith group of Quincy, Massachusetts, residents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court stating that this project violates the principle of the separation of church and state. More specifically, the lawsuit argues that the placement of these statues on government property violates Article 3 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by imposing religious imagery and symbols upon all of those who work in, visit, or pass by the building. The plaintiffs believe that these proposed statues send a message that the City of Quincy is a Catholic community and excludes non-Catholic citizens and devalues them. The current ruling ensures that the Catholic saint statues of St. Michael Archangel and St. Florian will not be erected while this case proceeds. Additionally, the court has denied the City of Quincy’s right to dismiss the lawsuit.
Mayor Thomas Koch plans to appeal the decision and believes that the statues are recognized as neutral figures that are not intended to promote or advance a singular religion. Mayor Koch explains that the proposed statues depicting St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian are recognized as universal symbols of courage and sacrifice in police and firefighter communities. In court, the City’s lawyer acknowledged that the statues have religious connections, but that they are secular icons as well. The City of Quincy has already bought the statues for nearly $1 million, and Mayor Koch continues to stand behind these statues as the case continues to be ongoing.
The main issue present is whether the City of Quincy is allowed to display religious imagery and symbols outside their new public safety headquarters. This case is especially important because it calls into question whether the implementation of these religious statues outside the public safety headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts, violates the establishment clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing religion. Thankfully, this is not an isolated incident, as similar cases have already been resolved, and thus help provide insight into what could transpire in this case against the City of Quincy.
In McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (2005), part of the issue that the Supreme Court had to decide was whether the Ten Commandments displayed in public schools violate the First Amendment’s establishment clause. In a 5-4 majority opinion delivered by Justice David Souter, the majority held that the displays violated the establishment clause and that a neutral observer would have concluded that these displays of the Ten Commandments by the government would be perceived as advancing religion. This decision follows the same logic and rationale that the plaintiffs laid out in their lawsuit, that these actions violate the separation of church and state and that the government established religion.
In Van Orden v. Perry (2005), the issue being examined in the case was whether a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of a state capitol building violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court found that the establishment clause did not bar the monument on the grounds of the Texas state capitol building, and that the monument is more aligned with American tradition and history than its religious connotations. This latter portion of the Court's decision is similar to Mayor Koch’s rationale regarding the proposed statues in Quincy, as he views them as secular icons associated with tradition and history rather than for religious purposes. Ultimately, these two precedents provide strong arguments for both sides in the current case regarding the constitutionality of implementing statues of Catholic saints outside the new public safety headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts.
While there are strong arguments and previous precedents that support Mayor Koch and the City of Quincy in their endeavor to erect statues of Catholic saints outside their new public safety headquarters, I side with the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit against the City of Quincy. I think these statues violate the principle of the separation of church and state because these statues support and promote Catholicism over other religions. This is an instance of a combination of church and state rather than a separation of them. Similar to what was described in the Supreme Court’s opinion in McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (2005), I think a neutral observer would be more likely to associate these statues with their religious connotations rather than their secular connotations. I believe government buildings have an obligation to maintain a neutral image, and that starts with avoiding the implementation of clear religious symbols like St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian. Hypothetically, if these statues were to be permanently displayed, I think this would lead to a slippery slope of all religious groups clamoring for their own religious statues to be displayed outside the public safety headquarters, which would, in turn, lead to possibly more public money being spent on religious statues and further arguing among groups. In the end, I think Mayor Koch will be left with two very expensive statues that he just spent $1 million on without a place to put them.
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/quincy-religious-statue-building-update/3827156/
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2004/03-1693
8 comments:
The precedent set in the McCreary County case definitely seems to help the plaintiffs' argument that inherently religious displays outside public buildings violate the first amendment establishment clause and looks a lot like the state “endorsing” a particular religion. While I agree with your analysis I do think it's tricky to determine what is “religious” versus what is “tradition”. Because the Van Orden case showed us a different outcome, I think it points to the difficult nature of these constitutional arguments. For the City of Quincy to go forward with the statue installation, they must make a strong argument that the Catholic saints represent more than just Catholicism and appeals to history and tradition. Not sure that can be done, but in my mind that’s the big constitutional question at hand.
While, as you said, both sides present compelling arguments, I do agree with your conclusion on this matter. To an outsider, these statues could serve as a deterrent to city affairs and can most definitely be seen as an establishment or promotion of one ideology (or in this case, religion) over another. The question on my mind, though, is, seeing how the court contradicted itself in a very short span of time with the Van Orden and McCreary County cases, will any form of stare decisis be used regarding either of these cases? Based on my understanding, I would think the court would refer back to the McCreary County case, seeing as it is a much more visible and emotionally provoking symbol, but I guess we will have to wait and see.
I agree with the sentiment expressed by the plaintiffs. First, it is my opinion that the erection and display of Catholic Saints if fundamentally different from the display of the Ten Commandments. While I also find issue with the Ten Commandments being displayed in public government buildings, I'd argue that they are more likely to be found as foundations of the country's origins rather than Catholic Saints. I think that displaying Catholic Saints is a direct violation of the Establishment Clause and, similar to what Graiden said, can easily be seen as the promotion of one particular ideology.
I agree with the plaintiffs. It was a government building, and they are not supposed to favor one religion over others. Even if Mayor Koch believed that the statues were not meant to be seen as symbols of religion, ultimately, they do represent the Catholic religion. I also agree with the idea of the slippery slope. If the court were to allow the building of the statues, they would be forced into building numerous statues, so that people of other religions would be satisfied. The statues clearly violate Article 3 and the First Amendment.
I think this is a violation of the separation of church and state because religious symbols should not be placed on display for people in a government location. It is interesting that the statues were claimed to be a universal symbol when they are saints, making them a clear religious symbol. While I understand the claim that there is a connection to history, I think the religious aspect would take precedence making it unconstitutional.
I definitely understand where each side is coming from. The statues could be viewed as, and to me are more neutral then the Ten Commandments in the Van Orden Case. That being said, there is no objective way to make a distinction of whether or not the statues are more "traditional" or "religious". One could view them as neutral and secular since they are associated with the well being of law enforcement, but they are also historical saints worshipped by those of Christian faith. As much as I want to say that the statues can be neutral, I believe their construction would violate the Establishment Clause. Erecting them on public, tax-funded property serves as endorsement of the Christian faith.
In this case, I agree with the plaintiffs. In my opinion, this is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause as well as Article 3 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. These religious statues can appear to be a promotion of the Catholic religion over other religious minority groups, even if they are displayed as universal symbols of courage and sacrifice. The Establishment Clause was in part designed to protect minority religious groups, and in this case, I believe that displaying religious statues on government property can be perceived as if the government is promoting a majority religion.
I agree with your siding with the plaintiffs, and that displaying these statues violates both the Establishment Clause and the separation of Church and State. I do think that Mayor Koch's argument that the statues have secular connotations is warranted, however, the fact that the statues can be interpreted non-religiously does not mean that they lose their majorly accepted religious connotations. Statues holding religious meanings should not be displayed on public city headquarters because doing so promotes a majority religion over minorities and secular beliefs, regardless of if some people may interpret their meanings as "courage" and "sacrifice".
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