Opinion ID: 782263
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Use of Other Symbols in the Seal

Text: 47 Second, the outline of the Ten Commandments is not the only symbol in the Seal; the Seal also has a depiction of a sword intertwined with the tablets. The presence of this additional symbol increases the probability that observers will associate the Seal with secular law rather than with religion. 48 Appellants argue that the sword is a Christian symbol that enhances the religious effect of the Seal. We conclude, however, that the superior court's use of the sword cuts the other way when applying the effect test. Although the sword might occasionally serve as a symbol of Christianity, the sword is among the most recognizable symbols of the secular legal system. For example, numerous depictions of the female figure Justice are located on the grounds, in the courtroom, and in the frieze sculptures of the United States Supreme Court, usually holding a sword in her right hand and scales in her left. 10 The sword, in this context, symbolizes the power of law, which Justice stands ready to use in the allegorical story of the battle of Good Versus Evil.  11 In fact, another representation of Justice with a sword in her hand, a statue entitled Miss Justice, is located in the parking lot of the Augusta-Richmond County municipal building, which houses the superior court. This statue probably predates the Seal's inception, and it is likely that most members of the community who transact business with the county and the superior court have seen this statue and understand the statue's sword to be a symbol of the law. 49 Given the strong symbolic associations between the sword and the power of law, a reasonable observer is likely to understand the Seal's depiction of the Ten Commandments intertwined with the sword as a symbol of the secular legal system. Like the secular decorations surrounding the crèche in Lynch or the other lawgivers who accompany Moses and the Ten Commandments on the south wall frieze of the Supreme Court building, 12 the Seal's sword and the words SUPERIOR COURT RICHMOND COUNTY, GA contextualize the Ten Commandments pictograph. Cf. County of Allegheny, 492 U.S. at 598, 109 S.Ct. 3086 (Here, unlike in Lynch, nothing in the context of the display detracts from the crèche's religious message.). 50