The U.S. House of Representatives offered its support to an Alabama judge who is fighting to keep a plaque of the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. By a 295-125 vote March 5, the House passed a non-binding “Sense of the Congress” resolution endorsing the display of the ancient legal code, which it called “a declaration of fundamental principles that are the cornerstones of a fair and just society.”
The measure was introduced by freshman Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) on behalf of Judge Roy S. Moore of Etowah County, Alabama. Moore has been sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for displaying the Ten Commandments and for opening his court sessions with prayer. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Charles Price agreed with the ACLU, but his decision has been stayed pending appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. Gov. Fob James has said he will use the National Guard, if necessary, to protect Moore’s right to display the plaque.
Debating the resolution, Aderholt said, “To exclude a display of the Ten Commandments because it suggests an establishment of religion is not consistent with our nation’s heritage, let alone common sense.”
Barry Lynn of Americans United For Separation of Church and State called the resolution “the worst politicization of religion I have seen in Congress in the 25 years I have worked in Washington.”
The Ten Commandments are engraved on the courtroom walls of the U.S. Supreme Court. All federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, begin their sessions with prayer, as does Congress and many state legislatures.
E.P. News
