Amendment One for November’s upcoming elections has been set.
Alabamians across the state will have the opportunity to cast their ballot for or against Amendment One, which if approved by the voters would add an amendment to the state constitution that would give properties belonging to the state, such as court rooms and schools, the option to display the Ten Commandments.
Secretary of State John Merrill held a press conference Friday morning at the State Capitol in Montgomery to sign a proclamation announcing the amendment.
Lineville-Republican State Senator Gerald Dial shepherded the proposed state constitutional amendment through the 2018 session of the Alabama Legislature. He believes the amendment should be passed, as “it is proper that Alabama schoolhouses and courtrooms be permitted to acknowledge God and his moral law.”
“Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., and there is a marble engraving in the courtroom depicting Moses holding the Ten Commandments,” Dial explained. “Virtually all of our nation’s founding fathers recognized that the Ten Commandments are the basis of our Judeo-Christian legal foundation, and it is proper that Alabama schoolhouses and courtrooms be permitted to acknowledge God and his moral law.”
Republicans supporters of the proposal say it will reaffirm religious liberty, which is already under law.
Meanwhile, Democratic opponents of the proposal think it would end up doing more harm than good; that it violates the separation of church and state, and would motivate federal lawsuits that could cost the state money.
Amendment One will be joined by three additional constitutional amendments on the November 6 general election ballot.
