A federal judge ordered state officials in Iowa on Monday to permit a local Satanic Temple organization to hold a holiday event in the rotunda of the state capitol after years of denying the group’s application.
The religious organization and Iowa Republican state officials have been in a legal battle over the group’s applications to hold a holiday event at the state capitol in recent years.
Republicans in Iowa, who currently control the governorship and majorities in the state house and senate, have cited the capitol building’s policies prohibiting gratuitous violence and obscene displays as justification for denying the applications.
According to the office of the attorney general, Brenna Bird, state Republicans intend to appeal the federal judge’s decision.
The Satanic Temple and Iowa chapter leader filed a lawsuit in August, alleging discrimination from former and current state officials.
Chief District Judge Stephanie M Rose stated in her court order that the group was likely to succeed on its free speech claim and ordered the current director of the Iowa department of administrative services to approve the holiday event application within seven days.
The Satanic Temple (TST), which was founded in Salem, Massachusetts, in 2013, characterizes itself as a “non-theistic religious organization” that advocates for secularism and emphasizes separation from the Church of Satan founded in 1966.
The Satanic Temple argues it does not believe in Satan, rather arguing it uses Satan as a symbol to protest against religious authoritarianism.
“Satan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds,” the Satanic Temple’s website states. It adds: “Satanists adhere to the principles of individual sovereignty and the rejection of tyrannical authority.”
In December 2023, the group had a religious holiday display in the Iowa state capitol, but it was vandalized by a Christian military veteran. The Turning Point founder, Charlie Kirk, pledged $10,000 to the accused vandal’s legal defense. The following year, the Satanic Temple’s application for a holiday display and event was denied.
“State officials have made it clear that they denied TST permission to hold events in the Capitol rotunda because they disagreed with their religious viewpoint,” said Shefali Aurora, ACLU of Iowa staff attorney, in a statement on the court order. “It is a foundational principle that the government cannot restrict speech in this way, favor one religion over another, or discriminate against religious groups because they don’t agree with them.”
The group said its proposed holiday event would include costumes of the European folklore character Krampus, caroling, coloring for children and ornament making. In its denial of the application, state officials cited sticks included in the costumes that could be used as weapons and policies meant to protect children who might be present in the public space.
Judge Rose wrote that the state officials’ arguments did not justify the denials, noting the argument that the character Krampus might scare children was “not a permissible basis for excluding speech” and the argument about the sticks included with the costumes “cannot justify denying the entire event”.
The Iowa department of administrative services and the Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, have not yet commented on the court order.
In 2023, Governor Reynolds stated in response to the group’s holiday display at the state capitol, “like many Iowans, I find the Satanic Temple’s display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable. In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech, and I encourage all those of faith to join me today in praying over the Capitol and recognizing the nativity scene that will be on display – the true reason for the season.”
