Overview
- The dispute is before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court with a decision expected soon and the planned installation of two 10-foot bronze statues of St. Michael and St. Florian blocked while the case proceeds.
- Plaintiffs who sued in May 2025 are represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts, the national ACLU, Americans United, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Cloherty & Steinberg LLP and argue the statues lack a predominantly secular purpose.
- Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch selected the Italian-made statues to honor police and firefighters and the city is defended by the Becket Fund, which says the works are civic art meant to boost morale.
- Supporters that include the National and Massachusetts Fraternal Orders of Police argue the saints have cross-faith symbolic value for first responders, while critics say the plan was not disclosed during the building approval process.
- A ruling will apply Massachusetts’ state constitutional test under Article 3 rather than the federal First Amendment and could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, potentially setting wider precedent for religious displays on government property.