(Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines - KIWA Staff Photo)Statewide, Iowa (RI) — A federal judge has ruled that state officials who’ve approved permits for religious groups to install displays and hold holiday events in the Iowa Capitol must give the Satanic Temple of Iowa a permit, too.
The Satanic Temple’s 2023 display was vandalized by a Misssissippi man who drove to Iowa after reading about the group’s plans. State officials have denied the group’s requests to hold holiday events in the Capitol for the past two years.
The ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit in August claiming the denials violated the organization’s constitutional rights. Shafali (shuh-FAH-lee) Aurora is a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Iowa.
Rita Bettis Austen, legal director of the ACLU of Iowa, says the preliminary injunction sends an important message.
The U.S. District Court will rule on whether a permanent injunction should be issued.
