Massachusetts Supreme Court Halts Installation of Religious Statues at Quincy Public Safety Building

Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling on August 20 blocking the city of Quincy from erecting two 10-foot statues depicting St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian outside a new public safety headquarters. The court determined that installing the religious monuments on government property would violate state constitutional protections requiring religious neutrality, according to court documents and statements from opposing legal teams.

The decision upheld a lower court’s temporary injunction issued in October 2025 that had previously prevented the installation. Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch selected the statues, which were sculpted in Italy, with the stated intention of honoring police officers and firefighters. Koch said in a statement he chose the monuments to “honor, inspire and encourage our First Responders” and improve morale, not to promote religion.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing Quincy, characterized the ruling as preliminary and vowed to continue the legal fight. Joe Davis, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the city, told Fox News Digital that “the city should not have to hide public art simply because some people may think of religion when they see it.”

The legal challenge began in May 2025 when faith-based organizations and taxpayers filed suit in Norfolk Superior Court. The plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts, the national ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Cloherty & Steinberg LLP, argued the statues lacked a secular purpose and would advance religion improperly.

The ACLU of Massachusetts stated in its brief that the “statues, whose imagery is drawn directly from Catholic iconography, lack a predominantly secular purpose.” The organization contended that permanently placing the oversized religious figures as the sole adornments on a public building would constitute government endorsement of faith.

Law enforcement groups filing in support of the city countered that St. Michael and St. Florian hold symbolic importance across multiple faith traditions and professions. The National Fraternal Order of Police and Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police argued in their brief that “first responders of all stripes, religious creeds, and political affiliations — and not just Catholics or Christians — cherish both saints for their symbolic importance to the profession.”

Jessie Rossman, legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, said the ruling “affirms” that government must “remain neutral in matters of religion and must not elevate one faith above others.” The case will proceed to Superior Court for further litigation on the underlying constitutional questions.