Overview
- A Massachusetts Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction on Oct. 14 in Fitzmaurice v. City of Quincy, halting installation of two 10‑foot bronze statues at the new public safety building.
- Judge William F. Sullivan said the complaint is likely to succeed because the displays appear to endorse a particular faith and could intimidate victims or witnesses seeking help.
- The court applied the Lemon test under the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights and rejected the city’s asserted secular purpose for the statues.
- The statues depict St. Michael for police and St. Florian for firefighters, with reported costs of about $850,000 each.
- Fifteen residents sued with support from civil-liberties groups including the ACLU, Americans United, and FFRF, and Mayor Thomas Koch said the city will appeal with the Becket Fund representing it pro bono.