Amendment One revisits Ten Commandments issue in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - Alabama voters will decide whether to allow public displays of the Ten Commandments on state property, including courts and public schools. If it passes, statewide Amendment number one would add language to the state constitution that authorizes the display of the Ten Commandments and prohibits the state from using public to defend the amendment in court.

The effort behind the amendment has been funded by Ten Commandments Amendment PAC, chaired by Dean Young, former chief strategist for Roy Moore.

The measure was passed by lawmakers in the legislative session earlier this year, and sponsored by Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville and Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Birmingham.

Critics, including the ACLU of Alabama, say the amendment violates the separation of church and state and will invite new lawsuits against Alabama.

This is not a new issue in Alabama. Former Chief Justice Roy Moore was removed from office in 2003 after putting a Ten Commandments monument in the state Judicial Building.

Amendment One

“Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, providing for certain religious rights and liberties; authorizing the display of the Ten Commandments on state property and property owned or administrated by a public school or public body; and prohibiting the expenditure of public funds in defense of the constitutionality of this amendment.”

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