Posted on 12/20/2005 2:01:25 PM PST by churchillbuff
A U.S. appeals court today upheld the decision of a lower court in allowing the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse display, hammering the American Civil Liberties Union and declaring, "The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."
Attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice successfully argued the case on behalf of Mercer County, Ky., and a display of historical documents placed in the county courthouse. The panel voted 3-0 to reject the ACLU's contention the display violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
The county display the ACLU sued over included the Ten Commandments, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Charta, the Star Spangled Banner, the National Motto, the Preamble to the Kentucky Constitution, the Bill of Rights to the U. S. Constitution and a picture of Lady Justice.
Writing for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Richard Suhrheinrich said the ACLU's "repeated reference 'to the separation of church and state' ... has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."
Suhrheinrich wrote: "The ACLU, an organization whose mission is 'to ensure that ... the government [is kept] out of the religion business,' does not embody the reasonable person."
The court said a reasonable observer of Mercer County's display appreciates "the role religion has played in our governmental institutions, and finds it historically appropriate and traditionally acceptable for a state to include religious influences, even in the form of sacred texts, in honoring American traditions."
Francis J. Manion, Counsel for the ACLJ, argued the case before both the 6th Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
"This is a big victory for the people of Mercer County and Kentucky generally," said Manion in a statement. "For too long they have been lectured like children by those in the ACLU and elsewhere who claim to know what the people's Constitution really means. What the Sixth Circuit has said is that the people have a better grasp on the real meaning of the Constitution; the Court recognizes that the Constitution does not require that we strip the public square of all vestiges of our religious heritage and traditions."
Kiss my church going ars, aclu! Buncha worthless communists.
"About freakin' time someone with half a brain looked at this case."
That would be the ACLU!
The ones with the 'whole brains' settled it for them!
:0)
YES - kicking the ACLUs butt yes - ACLU is scum suckingliberalpig POS.
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich said the ACLU's "repeated reference 'to the separation of church and state' ... has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."
Yes, the ACLU has become tiresome, along with the rest of the liberal Left and the RINO's. I believe Judge Suhrheinrich just put himself in position for the next Supreme Court vacancy!
You are seeing history in the making. The Founders' Constitutional intent is being re-discovered after 40 years of perversion by the Marxist Left.
Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, ACLU! Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho!
In the historical context, what it actually means is that the federal government can't monkey around in state established religions of the day. Hence, you are correct that there can't be a national establishment, as that would be a law 'respecting an establishment' in the state.
There were many different wordings proposed for the first amendment. The final one has a specific meaning that few, if any, courts have seen fit to recognize. Instead, they make reference to the writings of a man, Thomas Jefferson, who had absolutely no involvement in the drafting of the constitution or the amendments. He was in France at the time.
Outstanding.
I'm feeling...strange...sort of...VICTORIOUS!!! This judge has not only used the constitution, but also common sense. I'm in awe. Must send the judge a thank you note.
So, religious influences are not necessarily an "establishment of religion."
Seems like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
Nice jab. Now where is the uppercut, 1-2 combo and a below the belt swipe just for the heck of it?
I'm not one to hold a grudge-----I'm giving each and every ACLU'er the Oreck Challenge, together with my personal greetings as to where they can stick it.
" So, religious influences are not necessarily an "establishment of religion."
Nope!
And 'established' religion would be when the government declares 'All citizens must practice the Muslim faith and no other religion is allowed."
Or how about Parliament 'establishing' a religion by enacting a law that 'requires' you to practice their 'declared' faith?
Sound familiar?
Since the First Ammendment expressly FORBIDS Congress from doing this, then 'religious influences' in a government building does not 'establish' a religion.
And don't forget the second part of the First Ammendment that says 'or prohibit the free exercise thereof'.
That part is NOT limited to the 'public' only.
We gotta get that on a tee shirt.
Amen to that.
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and the hits just keep on coming'..
"the ACLU's repeated reference to 'the separation of church and state'... has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."
--Justice Richard Suhrheinrich
Merry Christmas!
later read/good news pingout.
I don't give a care what Judge Moore thinks, though I'm glad to see this. I had a copy of the Mayflower Compact hung up on my wall all the time I was growing up. An adopted grandfather gave it to me before he died.
You're at it again with those little note:).
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