North Carolina judge allows oaths without bible.A North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and FiguresArea, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. judge has ruled that court oaths may be administered on other religious texts besides the Bible. Superior Court Judge Paul C. Ridgeway ruled May 24 that consistent with state court precedent, "oaths are to be administered in a form, and upon such sacred texts, including texts other than the Holy Bible, that a witness or juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. holds to be 'most sacred and obligatory upon their conscience.'" The case was brought by the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. on behalf of a Muslim who was not allowed to swear an oath using the Quran in a civil case. Her case was tossed out of court, but earlier this year the North Carolina Court of Appeals The North Carolina Court of Appeals is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating groups of three. Judges serve eight-year terms and are elected in statewide non-partisan elections. overturned that decision, saying the woman had a justifiable claim and sent it back to the Superior Court for re-consideration. In his 18-page opinion, Ridgeway said, "In today's courtrooms, the primary purpose for the administration of oaths is to impress upon the witness the obligation to tell the truth and the solemnity SOLEMNITY. The formality established by law to render a contract, agreement, or other act valid. 2. A marriage, for example, would not be valid if made in jest, and without solemnity. Vide Marriage, and Dig. 4, 1, 7; Id. 45, 1, 30. of the occasion. The highest aim of every legal contest is the search for the truth. To require pious and faithful practitioners of religions other than Christianity to swear oaths in a form other than the form most meaningful to them would thwart the search for truth." The North Carolina attorney general The Attorney General of North Carolina is the head of the state's Department of Justice and provides legal representation and advice to all state agencies. He or she does not have the authority to prosecute specific crimes unless requested to do so by a local district had not made a decision as to whether to appeal the ruling in Matteen v. State of North Carolina at the time Church & State went to press. |
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