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Article: Writing on the wall of separation: understanding the public posting of religious duties and sectarian versions of sacred texts as an Establishment Clause violation in Ten Commandments cases.
- Article from:
- Fordham Urban Law Journal
- Article date:
- November 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Fordham Urban Law Journal. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INTRODUCTION
When a moving company arrived in Montgomery last summer to relieve the Alabama State Judicial Building of a two-and-a-half ton granite monument entrenched in its rotunda, the movers were greeted by shouts of "Pray the wheels crumble!" and "Lord, it's never too late to repent." (1) One protester even demanded: "Cowards! Open the door! Let me in there!" (2) The monument was inscribed with a translation of the Ten Commandments (3) from the King James Bible and was often the site of prayer services attended by government officials and other members of the public. (4) Its shape--two adjacent tablets, each rounded at the top (5)--recalled that most ancient ...