Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Upholds Injunction Blocking Religious Statues on Quincy Government Building

On August 19, 2026, in a landmark ruling, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld a preliminary injunction blocking the installation of two ten-foot-tall statues of Catholic saints outside the entrance of Quincy’s new public safety headquarters. The lawsuit was brought by a multifaith group of Quincy residents and taxpayers. Firm attorney Alexandra Arnold represents the plaintiffs alongside attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

In its ruling, the Court affirmed the trial court’s determination that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the proposed installation violates the Massachusetts Constitution’s requirement of governmental neutrality toward religion. As the Court observed, the statues of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian would “stand tall and alone, adorned with Catholic iconography,” and could be viewed as endorsing one religion while subordinating others. The injunction will remain in place while the litigation proceeds in Norfolk Superior Court.

You can read more about this important victory here.

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