As expected, U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a church coalition seeking to challenge Santa Monica’s ban on nativity and other seasonal displays in public spaces.
The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee had filed the suit in October after the Santa Monica City Council voted to prohibit private, unattended displays in city parks. Earlier this month, the court denied the committee’s request to allow the exhibition of nativity scenes in Palisades Park this year as the lawsuit progressed.