Judge Orders Iowa to Allow Satanic Temple Holiday Event

Chief District Judge Stephanie M. Rose ordered Iowa state officials on Monday to permit a local chapter of The Satanic Temple to hold a holiday event in the state capitol rotunda. The ruling concludes a legal challenge initiated in August, in which the organization alleged that Republican state officials discriminated against their religious viewpoint by repeatedly denying their applications.

State officials had previously blocked the event by citing policies against obscene displays and gratuitous violence, arguing that Krampus costumes and sticks could frighten children or be used as weapons. Judge Rose rejected these arguments, stating that the fear of frightening children is "not a permissible basis for excluding speech" and that the presence of sticks "cannot justify denying the entire event."

The court ordered the director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services to approve the application within seven days. The planned event includes caroling, ornament making, and children's coloring. The office of Attorney General Brenna Bird indicated that the state intends to appeal the decision, while Governor Kim Reynolds has previously described the group's displays as "absolutely objectionable."