Massachusetts court blocks city display of Catholic saints statues honoring firefighters, police

A Massachusetts court has blocked a city from displaying the Catholic saints that honor police officers and firefighters at a new building for public safety. The judge ruled that doing so could signal that the government supports just one religion over others.

The ruling from August 20 came down from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that the city of Quincy cannot display the statues of St. Michael, the patron saint of police, or St. Florian, the patron saint of firefighters. It reaffirms a lower court ruling from October 2025 that ordered the city to halt the installation of the two 10-foot-tall sculptures, per WBUR.

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, who is a Catholic himself, had commissioned the statues which cost $850,000 in taxpayer dollars. However, a lawsuit was brought by Quincy residents and the ACLU against the city to stop them from installing the statues.

The city of Quincy, however, has said that the legal fight is not over.

“This ruling is disappointing but is only preliminary,” Joe Davis, lead attorney for the city of Quincy, told Fox News. “Quincy chose these statues to honor the courage and sacrifice of its firefighters and police."

“The city should not have to hide public art simply because some people may think of religion when they see it. As the court noted today, this is not the final word for these statues, and we will continue defending Quincy’s right to honor its heroes,” Davis added.

Those looking to remove the statues have argued that placing the saints outside the government building violates the Massachusetts Constitution religious neutrality protections.

According to court documents, although Koch commissioned the statues, he did not do so to advertise religion but to “honor, inspire and encourage our First Responders” as well as “boost morale” and “ensure [first responders’] lifesaving work would remain maximally effective.”

In a statement, the legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts said, "Here in Massachusetts, our state constitution is clear: The government must remain neutral in matters of religion and must not elevate one faith above others. With today's landmark ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court affirms those principles, which are the essential foundation of a pluralistic society where people of all faiths and no faith can flourish.

"As Quincy residents and taxpayers, our clients believe that installing these plainly religious statues would undermine those ideals," Rossman added. "We are proud to represent these courageous plaintiffs, and we look forward to continuing to litigate the merits of this case in Superior Court."