La Crosse Council votes to appeal Ten Commandments ruling Associated Press LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) - The Common Council has decided to appeal a federal court's ruling that orders the city to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a downtown park. Mayor John Medinger has promised to veto the council's decision, but he expects members will overrule it. The council voted 13-2 Thursday to appeal. Last week, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled the city must remove the monument because it unconstitutionally promotes a particular religious view. She also ruled the city must undo the sale of the property to the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, which originally donated the monument to the city in 1965. The city sold the land to the Eagles after a lawsuit was filed challenging the monument's constitutionally. It also put up fences around the plot and large signs disclaiming city endorsement of the commandments. The American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing the Eagles, filed an appeal Feb. 4. The council voted to make its appeal separate from the Eagles' appeal. The city will file its appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago. Supporters of the appeal say Crabb's decision conflicts with an earlier ruling regarding the city of Marshfield, where the court allowed a statue of Jesus to remain on property sold by the city. "I think we have a good case and hopefully the 7th Circuit Court will see we followed the Marshfield case as best we could and did what they did to comply with court orders there," said council member Todd Olson, who supported the appeal. Medinger called the appeal a waste of time and money that "will continue to divide this community."