Oklahoma Voters to Decide on Return of Ten Commandments Monument

Oklahoma voters are set to vote in November whether to abolish a state constitution article to give way to the return of the Ten Commandments monument to the Capitol grounds. 

According to KOCO, the resolution calls for a statewide referendum on whether to abolish an article of the Oklahoma Constitution that prohibits the use of state funds to support a religion. The state Supreme Court has been relying on the constitutional requirement when it ordered a Ten Commandments monument to be removed from the Capitol grounds.

The removal of the monuments has angered several Oklahomans including Republican lawmakers who promised to return the monument to state property as per ABC News.

Representative John Paul Jordan of Yukon said that since the Supreme Court's order, many of his constituents wants to know the steps that could be done in order to get the monument back to the state. Jordan, however, recognizes that it would be hard to undo the court's ruling that is why he is giving the voters the opportunity to remove the basis of the ruling. But as reported by News Channel 4, opponents of the bill thinks this move will only open more lawsuits to which the attorney general will have to defend.

In 2009, the privately-funded monument which was authorized by the Republican-controlled legislature has been the center of controversy. Bruce Prescott, a Baptist minister from Norman, filed a suit and claimed that it violated the state's constitution.

Prescott has been a part of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma. The group vows to challenge the said resolution in federal court in case the statue will be returned. Ryan Kiesel, executive director of ACLU and a former Democratic lawmaker, accused the GOP of using the monument as part of their political gimmick.

Experts, on the other hand, said even if the voters decide to amend the constitution and succeed in returning the monument to the Statehouse, legal challenges would still prevail under the US Constitution.

Tags

Oklahoma, Constitution, Ten Commandments, Monument, Capitol Grounds, Religion

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