Federal judge orders Iowa to permit Satanic Temple holiday event at state capitol

A federal judge on Monday ordered state officials in Iowa 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.

Chief District Judge Stephanie M Rose stated in her court order that the group was likely to succeed on its free speech claim. She ordered the current director of the Iowa department of administrative services to approve the holiday event application within seven days.

The Satanic Temple and its Iowa chapter leader filed a lawsuit in August, alleging discrimination from former and current state officials. Republicans in Iowa, who currently control the governorship and majorities in the state house and senate, had 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 Iowa department of administrative services and the Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, have not yet commented on the court order.

The Satanic Temple was founded in Salem, Massachusetts, in 2013. It characterizes itself as a non-theistic religious organization that advocates for secularism and emphasizes separation from the Church of Satan founded in 1966.

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.

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. She noted 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.

Shefali Aurora, ACLU of Iowa staff attorney, said in a statement on the court order that state officials have made it clear they denied the group permission to hold events in the Capitol rotunda because they disagreed with their religious viewpoint. She said 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 do not agree with them.

In 2023, Governor Reynolds stated in response to the group's holiday display at the state capitol that, like many Iowans, she found the Satanic Temple's display in the Capitol absolutely objectionable. She said then that in a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech, and encouraged all those of faith to join her in praying over the Capitol.