Contact Information

  • Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gregoire and Attorney General McKenna�s statement on holiday displays

For Immediate Release: December 3, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire and Attorney General Rob McKenna today issued the following statement about holiday displays on view in Washington state�s Legislative Building:

�Last year, after a federal lawsuit was filed against the state of Washington by the Alliance Defense Fund, the state�s Department of General Administration set forth a policy allowing individuals or groups to sponsor a display regardless of that individual�s or group�s views.

�The Legislative Building belongs to all citizens of Washington state, and houses the state Legislature, as well as the offices of several state-elected executives, including the governor. The U.S. Supreme Court has been consistent and clear that, under the Constitution�s First Amendment, once government admits one religious display or viewpoint onto public property, it may not discriminate against the content of other displays, including the viewpoints of non-believers.�