Portraits of more than a dozen historic figures have been added to a courthouse display of Jesus that ran afoul of civil libertarians, but expanding the display isn't likely to end the controversy.

WWL-TV

(File Photo.)

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Slidell officials in U.S. District Court over the display, claiming it violates the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.

A lawyer for the city said expanding the display last Friday to include portraits of 15 "notable lawgivers in history," including Moses, Charlemagne, and Napoleon Bonaparte, should satisfy its critics. A framed copy of the Constitution also was added to the display at Slidell City Court.

On Tuesday, however, an ACLU official said the group has no plans to drop its lawsuit. On Friday, the ACLU is scheduled to ask a federal judge in New Orleans to order court officials to remove the painting of Jesus.

The expanded display at the courthouse in Slidell, a New Orleans suburb, is modeled after one at the U.S. Supreme Court, said Michael Johnson, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group representing the city.

"Clearly, it's constitutional," Johnson said.

Vincent Booth, president of the Louisiana ACLU chapter said it was "creative" but "ultimately disingenuous" to add other portraits to the display.

"I don't think it really changes anything," he said.

City Judge James Lamz has refused to take down the image of Jesus presenting the New Testament accompanied by the words, "To Know Peace, Obey These Laws." The painting was on display at the courthouse for nearly a decade before the ACLU raised objections.

Johnson said the new portraits reinforce the original purpose of the display: to "use art to emphasize the importance of following the law so can have a peaceful society."

In July, the ACLU sued on behalf of an unidentified person who complained about the picture. The city, Lamz and St. Tammany Parish, which partly funds the court, were named as defendants.

Lamz's office said Tuesday that the judge couldn't comment on pending litigation.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)