Oklahoma panel orders removal of Ten Commandments monument

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A state panel charged with overseeing artwork at the state Capitol has ordered the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the statehouse grounds after a court found the sculpture violated the Oklahoma constitution.

The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission voted 7-1 Tuesday during a special meeting to authorize the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to remove the one-ton granite monument.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in June that the monument’s display violates a constitutional prohibition on the use of public property to support "any sect, church, denomination or system of religion." A district court judge earlier this month ordered the monument to be removed within the next 30 days.

OMES spokesman John Estus says the agency will remove the monument before Oct. 12.