A plaque of the Ten Commandments that has hung for 86 years on a wall outside the Allegheny County Courthouse can remain in place, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said the plaque doesn't violate the constitutional separation of church and state. Its decision upholds a district judge's ruling in July 2003, which found the plaque didn't endorse any religion.

The decision echoed a similar one over the display of the Ten Commandments at the Chester County Courthouse near Philadelphia. Chester County commissioners said they wanted to keep their 83-year-old plaque for its historic significance. The appeals court agreed in June 2003, saying the commissioners were motivated by historic preservation, not a desire to spread a religious message.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington group, had sued Allegheny County four years ago on behalf of two county residents who claimed to be offended by the plaque.