First Amendment at center of debate

  Some legal experts strongly suggest the answer is \"yes.\" Others say \"not necessarily.\" \"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion\" read the first 10 words of the First Amendment. From that clause, the American legal system has interprete...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe News Herald
Main Author Hobson, Will
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Panama City, Fla Halifax Media Group 01.11.2009
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:  Some legal experts strongly suggest the answer is \"yes.\" Others say \"not necessarily.\" \"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion\" read the first 10 words of the First Amendment. From that clause, the American legal system has interpreted the ideal of the \"separation of church and state.\" It\'s a phrase not found in the Constitution, but written by Thomas Jefferson in an 1802 letter to Baptists in Connecticut explaining his interpretation of the establishment clause. \"The courts rule the way they do because of out-of- control judicial activism,\" said Bryan Fischer, director of issues analysis for the American Family Association. \"The First Amendment could not be any plainer. What about the word Congress\' do judges not understand?\"