Des Moines, Iowa: Federal Judge Orders State to Allow Satanic Temple Holiday Event at the Capitol

A federal judge in Des Moines ruled on Monday that Iowa officials must let the Satanic Temple Iowa hold its holiday event in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol, finding that the state engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination when it denied the group access that it grants to other religious groups.

Chief U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose granted a preliminary injunction against the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and its director, Mark Campbell, and ordered the event to be allowed on December 12, 2026. The ruling gives the state seven days to approve the temple's application for the event.

The department, which handles event scheduling at the Capitol, denied permits for the temple's planned events in 2024, 2025 and 2026 while granting permits to other religious groups. The Satanic Temple and Mortimer Adramelech, minister of the Iowa congregation, sued in August 2026. They are represented by the ACLU of Iowa, with Kezhaya Law PLC and the Hasso and Wilson Law Firm as co-counsel.

The planned event is a family holiday gathering in the rotunda. The temple's application described carols, coloring pages, make and take ornaments and a Krampus costume contest. Krampus is a horned figure from Central European Christmas folklore. State officials cited concerns that Krampus costumes could frighten children and that sticks carried as part of the costumes could be used as weapons.

Judge Rose wrote that those concerns amounted to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and were not enough to justify banning the entire event. The ACLU of Iowa said the court found the temple is likely to prevail on its free speech claim. Shefali Aurora, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Iowa, said after the ruling that the decision confirms Iowa had no valid basis to reject the temple's event applications.

The state will fight the order. Jen Green, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Brenna Bird, said: "The Attorney General's Office will immediately appeal today's decision, so the Capitol remains a welcoming and suitable place for all visitors, including infants, toddlers, and young children."

The dispute goes back to December 2023, when Iowa allowed the Satanic Temple Iowa to place a holiday display in the Capitol rotunda alongside other displays, including a Christian nativity scene. The group applied for holiday events in each of the following years and was denied, delayed or left without final approval, according to its lawsuit.

Monday's ruling is a preliminary injunction, not the end of the case. The lawsuit continues in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, where the temple is also seeking a permanent injunction, declaratory relief and damages. For now, the December 12 event is back on the Capitol calendar, unless an appeals court pauses the order before then.