Judge Orders Iowa to Allow Satanic Temple Holiday Event at State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa

The Iowa chapter of the Salem-based Satanic Temple has won a legal fight to take part in a holiday event in the Iowa State Capitol rotunda in Des Moines, according to reports from The Guardian and The Boston Globe. The group’s holiday display at the capitol was vandalized in December 2023 by a Christian military veteran, according to The Guardian. The following year, the group’s application for a holiday display and event was denied.

The Boston Globe reported that the chapter’s applications for the event in 2024 and 2025 were denied, and that its 2026 application was pending for 159 days without a decision. The Satanic Temple and an Iowa chapter leader filed a lawsuit in August alleging discrimination by former and current state officials, and The Boston Globe reported that the suit also alleged violations of free speech and freedom of expression. Iowa state officials denied the 2026 application in September, after the lawsuit was filed.

An evidentiary hearing was held in Des Moines on Oct. 6, and Mark Campbell, director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, was among four witnesses, according to The Boston Globe. Iowa Republican officials had cited the capitol’s policies prohibiting gratuitous violence and obscene displays in denying the applications, The Guardian reported. Honest handling of a pending request is central to the dispute, and the state’s delay in deciding the 2026 application is part of the record (Proverbs 11:1).

On a Monday, Chief District Judge Stephanie M. Rose ordered state officials to permit the group to hold the holiday event in the capitol rotunda. The Guardian reported that the court order says the group is likely to succeed on its free speech claim, and The Boston Globe similarly reported that Rose said the organization had shown a likelihood of success on that claim. Rose gave the Department of Administrative Services seven days to approve the application for a one-day event scheduled for Dec. 12. The Guardian described the order as directing the current director of the department to approve the application within that period, without naming the director, while The Boston Globe identified Campbell as the director.

According to The Guardian, the office of Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said state Republicans intend to appeal the decision. The Boston Globe reported that Campbell filed a notice indicating his office intends to appeal the order.