North Carolina GOPers want an official state religion

The bill would allow the state to be nullify court rulings on public prayer

Published April 3, 2013 1:17PM (EDT)

North Carolina State Legislative Office Building    (Wikipedia/W Edward Callis III)
North Carolina State Legislative Office Building (Wikipedia/W Edward Callis III)

Republican legislators in North Carolina want to declare an official state religion as a way of nullifying court rulings that prohibit prayer by public entities.

From the Huffington Post:

The bill, filed Monday by two GOP lawmakers from Rowan County and backed by nine other Republicans, says each state "is sovereign" and courts cannot block a state "from making laws respecting an establishment of religion." The legislation was filed in response to a lawsuit to stop county commissioners in Rowan County from opening meetings with a Christian prayer, wral.com reported.

"The Constitution of the United States does not grant the federal government and does not grant the federal courts the power to determine what is or is not constitutional; therefore, by virtue of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the power to determine constitutionality and the proper interpretation and proper application of the Constitution is reserved to the states and to the people," says the bill. "Each state in the union is sovereign and may independently determine how that state may make laws respecting an establishment of religion."

 


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Christianity North Carolina Religion Republicans U.s. Government