Officials say they will comply with a request to remove the Christian flag from a southeast Georgia courtroom, but the time apparently has not been determined, according to media reports.
Bryan County attorney Lea Holliday said the Freedom From Religion Foundation's desire to have the flag taken down will be honored, the Bryan County News reported.
However, Bryan Commission Chairman Jimmy Burnsed said the decision will be made by the judges who use the court, since they are not elected officials, the Savannah Morning News reported.
Bryan County, which is more than 200 miles from Atlanta, is part of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit. It was unclear Friday if the flag actually had been taken down.
The red, white and blue flag was developed by Protestants early in the 20th century, according to Christianity Today. White represents purity and peace, blue indicates fidelity, and red stands for Christ's blood sacrifice.
In a Thursday post on its website, the foundation said it will monitor the situation until the flag is removed. A foundation attorney made the request in a July 6 letter to Bryan County Clerk of Superior Court Rebecca Davis.
“The flag in the Bryan County courthouse unabashedly creates the perception of government endorsement of Christianity,” attorney Elizabeth Cavell wrote in the letter. “It is unconstitutional for a government entity to display a flag with a patently religious symbol and meaning on its grounds.”
The FFRF is a nonprofit based in Wisconsin with about 23,800 members, according to spokeswoman Alyssa Schaefer. She said a member of the community brought the matter to the foundation’s attention.
Holliday and Burnsed could not be reached for comment Friday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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