Jesus Portrait in Lousiana Court Will Stay Up Despite Outcry From ACLU

SLIDELL, La. — A portrait of Jesus on the wall at Slidell City Court will remain up for now, despite objections from the American Civil Liberties Union, which calls it a violation of church-state separation.

Further investigation will be needed before court officials decide whether to remove the portrait on First Amendment grounds — and the court might not make a deadline demanded last week by the ACLU, court spokeswoman Ann Barks said.

"It's more than just a picture of Jesus," Barks said. "It might have more to do with the business of the court than purely religious reasons."

A priest Friday identified the image as a 16th century Russian Orthodox icon called "Christ the Savior," — most likely a reprint. In the picture, Jesus is shown holding open a book to display two pages, each with a biblical quotation about judging correctly and wisely. The quotations are written in Russian.

So, in their mind, a portrait of Jesus holding a "Get Out of Jail Free!" card would be even more justifiable, especially since it would be in ENGLISH.