BS BRIEF:
- The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is expected to issue a decision soon in the closely watched Quincy case over whether statues of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian may stand outside the city’s new public safety headquarters.
- The Becket Fund, representing the City of Quincy, argues the statues honor police officers and firefighters through a centuries-old civic tradition, while the ACLU contends they violate the Massachusetts Constitution’s requirement of religious neutrality.
- Legal observers say whichever side loses is likely to continue the fight, raising the possibility that the dispute could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court and further define the limits of religious expression on public property.
ST. MICHAEL SHOWDOWN COULD BECOME THE NEXT BIG RELIGIOUS LIBERTY BATTLE
A legal fight that began with two bronze statues outside a public safety building in suburban Boston may soon become one of the nation’s most significant religious liberty cases.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is expected to rule any day on whether the City of Quincy may install towering bronze statues of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian outside its new public safety headquarters—a decision that could ultimately land before the U.S. Supreme Court.
At the center of the dispute are two figures that have long been associated with first responders around the world.
St. Michael has traditionally been regarded as the patron saint of police officers, while St. Florian has long been recognized as the patron saint of firefighters.
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch has maintained that religion was not the motivation behind selecting the statues.
According to court filings, Koch said the sculptures were intended to “honor, inspire, and encourage our First Responders,” “boost morale,” and “ensure [first responders’] lifesaving work would remain maximally effective.“
The city’s legal team says that should end the controversy.
Joseph Davis, senior counsel with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, dismissed the lawsuit in unusually blunt terms.
“The ACLU’s position is anti-art and anti-history and we’re confident the justices will reject it,” Davis told Fox News Digital.
He added, “We don’t hide away beautiful civic art just because it might make someone think of religion, and nothing in Massachusetts law says otherwise. Quincy has every right to honor its first responders with symbols that have inspired courage and sacrifice for generations.“
The plaintiffs see the matter very differently.
Represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and others, they argue the city crossed a constitutional line by selecting two unmistakably Christian figures as the centerpiece of a government building.
Their legal brief argues the statues “lack a predominantly secular purpose” and that placing “oversized, overtly religious statues as the sole adornments” of the building advances religion in violation of the Massachusetts Constitution.
Police organizations have rallied behind the city.
The National Fraternal Order of Police and the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police filed briefs supporting Quincy, arguing that St. Michael and St. Florian have become enduring symbols of courage, sacrifice and public service that transcend any single denomination.
The organizations wrote 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.“
The controversy has simmered since 2025, when a Norfolk Superior Court judge temporarily blocked installation of the statues while litigation continued. Oral arguments before the state’s highest court were heard in May, and attorneys now say a ruling could arrive at any time.
MY TAKE:
It’s amazing how predictable these fights have become.
A city wants to honor police officers and firefighters.
Not with political slogans. Not with rainbow crosswalks. Not with another modern art sculpture that looks like somebody welded together scrap metal behind a Home Depot.
They choose symbols that have inspired first responders for centuries. Suddenly… we’re told civilization itself is hanging in the balance.
Here’s a question. If St. Michael has inspired generations of police officers to protect innocent people… If St. Florian has become synonymous with firefighters rushing into burning buildings… How exactly does recognizing that tradition threaten anybody’s constitutional rights?
This isn’t about forcing someone into church. They’re statues. Sometimes it feels like the Left isn’t trying to remove religion from government. They’re trying to remove history from public life. And if a bronze statue honoring courage and sacrifice has become too offensive for public view… Maybe the problem isn’t the statue.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Fox News — Supreme Court showdown looms over St. Michael statue blocked from public safety building
- Becket Fund for Religious Liberty — City of Quincy, Massachusetts defends statues honoring first responders at state high court
- CBS Boston — Battle over $850,000 Quincy saint statues comes before Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- GBH News — SJC weighs dispute over saint statues in Quincy
- Becket Fund for Religious Liberty — Fitzmaurice v. City of Quincy case overview
- The Patriot Ledger — Quincy public safety headquarters statue controversy and local coverage
