first off, of course the ten commandments should not be in a government court hall. It's not just that it violates the separation between church and state... Some have argued that because it is a set of laws, it is fitting in a courthouse-- but that is exactly why it cannot rest there. Situated thusly, the statue implies that the law of land is founded upon the ten commandments. in fact, our enlightenment era law system and democracy itself are a negation of the kind of law that the commandments symbolize... the downward law of a ruler upon his people. The law of a shepherd toward his herd as in "the lord is my shepherd." If the lord is your shepherd then what are you? In a democracy we give the law to ourselves-- within the bounds of the inalienable rights of people and all that jazz. So, having a statue of the ten commandments in a US courthouse puts is in line with the very tradition of law that we are trying to discard. Too many people are pack-rats when it comes to concepts... myself included. And while we're at it, get that "In God We Trust" off the dollar bill. As Conan O'Brien would say, "INAPPROPRIATE." We need to give up our trust in god and learn to trust each other.