Plaque from Barrow County Ten Commandments fight up for auction

<p>A Ten Commandments plaque that was removed from the Barrow County Courthouse after a lawsuit was filed is now available to this highest bidder on the online auction site eBay.</p><p>Ten Commandments-Georgia, a group seeking to put Ten Commandments displays in public buildings throughout the state, opened bidding Sunday evening.</p><p>By Tuesday morning, the plaque had received 41 bids, with the latest bid at $1,525. Bidding closes Sept. 21.</p><p>"We've been told it could raise as high as $20,000, if not $40,000," said Mike Griffin, executive director of Ten Commandments-Georgia.</p><p>The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in 2003 on behalf of an anonymous Barrow County resident to get the plaque removed. In July, Senior U.S. District Court Judge William C. O'Kelley ordered the plaque taken down. The county complied and decided not to appeal.</p><p>The plaque is authenticated with signatures of all Barrow Count commissioners as well as the signature of Eva Elder, the widow of Barrow Commission Chairman Walter "Eddie" Elder. Elder led efforts to display the Ten Commandments after a private donor asked him for permission to hang the plaque at the courthouse.</p><p>The legal fight cost Barrow County more than $250,000 in legal bills. Ten Commandments-Georgia has pledged to reimburse the county for its legal expenses. Griffin said he hoped the online auction would help raise the $52,000 still needed.</p>