Supreme Court's Ruling on the Ten Commandments

SUPREME COURT'S RULING ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS -- (House of Representatives - June 28, 2005)

(Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I rise to voice my strong disapproval with the Supreme Court's ruling yesterday that barred individual States from displaying the Ten Commandments in courthouses. The five justices who voted for this ruling displayed extreme hypocrisy. As they outlawed this practice, they sat directly underneath our Ten Commandments.

In 1950, the Florida Supreme Court stated: ``A people unschooled in the sovereignty of God, the Ten Commandments, and the ethics of Jesus could never have evolved the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. There is not one solitary fundamental principle of our democratic policy that did not stem directly from the basic moral concepts of the Ten Commandments ..... ''

The Ten Commandments are found more often in public buildings than in individual churches, demonstrating that Americans from all faiths and walks of life recognize their impact on our laws and culture.

Yesterday's ruling sets a dangerous precedent. What is next? Are we going to remove references to God from our pledge, remove the Bible from our court proceedings, and so forth?

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to look into ways to prevent this type of abusive judicial power. I also encourage the five justices to exercise better judgment in the future.

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