Will top court hear Utah tablets cases?

The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to review the Ten Commandments cases of two Utah cities to determine if justices will accept the cases for review.

Salt Lake City attorney Brian Barnard said the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to review the appeals of Duchesne and Pleasant Grove cities on Friday and by Monday the nation's top court will decide if it will hear the cases.

Barnard represents the religious group Summum, which is trying to erect a display of its "Seven Aphorisms" next to displays of the Ten Commandments, located in two of the cities' parks.

Last November, the American Center for Law and Justice, a legal group based in Washington, D.C., announced it was appealing a 10th Circuit decision to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the two cities.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled in April of last year that Summum had a right under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to erect its display. Its ruling was consistent with its previous decision in a similar case against Ogden city, which forced the city to relocate its Ten Commandments display onto private property.

All of the monuments were donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles many years ago.