On the steps of the Supreme Court this morning Congressman Ernest Istook and Religious Freedom Coalition chairman William J. Murray introduced a constitutional amendment whose purpose is to roll back Supreme Court abuses. Congressman Istook said that the Religious Freedom Amendment "will preserve the original balance of the First Amendment, protecting religious expression by Americans while preventing the establishment of any official religion."

The Amendment was introduced the same week that the Supreme Court issued two convoluted rulings on the Ten Commandments. In a Texas case the Court said the Ten Commandments could be displayed and in a Kentucky case said they could not. The core of the Supreme Court decision rested on intent. In essence the Court ruled that if the builders intended the Ten Commandments monuments to be meaningless they can be kept, but if they are intended to have meaning they must be removed.

Once added to the Constitution, the proposed Amendment would protect displays of the Ten Commandments, the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, and would allow school children to pray in school individually or together. Because the Religious Freedom Amendment is much broader than individual amendments which have previously been offered to correct specific injustices of the Supreme Court, this Religious Freedom Amendment would also protect references to God on public buildings and the singing of songs such as God Bless America at public events.

"When the Supreme Court loses its moorings, as sometimes happens - as in the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857 in which the Court ruled that blacks could never be citizens - the elected Congress has to step in and set things right. In that case, the Fourteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution to clarify matters," stated William Murray. He added, "It was never intended by the framers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that federal courts should monitor and censor the words spoken or displayed in every local school, city council meeting and county courthouse in the land."

Click here for Congressman Istook’s complete statement

Click here for William J. Murray’s complete statement

Click here for complete press packet - includes RFC text and other supporting documents

Click here for popular Ten Commandments plaques

Click here for Ten Commandments tie worn by William Murray at press conference