This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

BAXTER COUNTY, Ark. — Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass said there will be no Nativity scene or any secular holiday displays on the courthouse lawn this year.

Pendergrass announced the decision Wednesday in Mountain Home in response to a federal judge’s ruling earlier this month that the Nativity display violates the Constitution.

“Nothing considered religious as defined by the court will be displayed to celebrate this federal and state holiday,” Pendergrass said during a news conference Wednesday.

A Christmas tree and other secular items are still allowed, according to CBS affiliate THV11.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks ruled that the county must either stop placing any religious seasonal displays on the property or create a public forum allowing displays by all religions and viewpoints.

The American Humanist Association and Mountain Home resident Dessa Blackthorn sued last December after Pendergrass denied at least two requests to place a “Happy Winter Solstice” banner on the lawn. A lawyer for the association said it’s happy with the county judge’s decision.