In 2003, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore's monument to the Ten Commandments, the foundation for law in the United States, cost him his job, even though voters put him back in the same position the first chance they had.
In Oklahoma, a judge ruled against a similar monument while in Texas one was permitted. In schools, public display of the Ten Commandments is forbidden but it has been allowed in some instances in government buildings.
The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed Commandments displays, and now in Maryland a monument at the Allegany County courthouse will remain after the "offended person" dropped his legal complaint.
The Alliance Defending Freedom and Jones Day lawyers, who represented the county commissioners, asked in June that the case be dismissed.
Now, Jeffrey Davis, who lives in the next county but owns property in Allegany County, has voluntarily dropped the case.
He didn't give a reason.
"The emotional response of an offended passerby doesn't automatically amount to a violation of the Establishment Clause," said Brett Harvey, senior counsel to ADF.
"Mr. Davis was right to end his quest to uproot this monument, which is virtually identical to a monument in Texas that the U.S. Supreme Court already upheld.
"Because the county's monument would survive constitutional scrutiny, we are pleased that it will be able to stay," Harvey said.
Davis' motion, which was approved by the court, said: "I voluntarily dismiss this lawsuit pursuant to federal rule of civil procedure 41(a)(1)(A)9i). Such dismissal shall be without prejudice, with each side to bear its own costs and fees."
It was signed by Judge George Russell.
The Ten Commandments monument at issue was donated in 1957 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. It stands not far from a monument to George Washington.
In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of another, nearly identical, monument, also from the Eagles, on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.
The Texas monument, the court said, did not violate the Establishment Clause.
In its 2014 ruling in another case, Town of Greece v. Galloway, "the Supreme Court questioned the legitimacy of 'offended observer' claims, saying that adults 'often encounter speech they find disagreeable; and an Establishment Clause violation is not made out any time a person experiences a sense of affront from the expression of contrary religious views.'"
Harvey noted, "A passive monument acknowledging our nation's religious heritage resting unchallenged for nearly 60 years cannot be interpreted as the government establishing a religion."
In 2003, Moore was removed from office after a lower court ordered him to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from public property in Alabama and he declined.
He later was voted back into the same position by voters.