Texas judge ducks questions about separation.A Texas state appeals court judge known for his practice of displaying the Ten Commandments Ten Commandments or Decalogue [Gr.,=ten words], in the Bible, the summary of divine law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They have a paramount place in the ethical system in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. in his courtroom has been narrowly confirmed by the state Senate for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court. During his confirmation hearing in early May before the Senate Nominations Committee, Appeals Court Judge Scott Brister Scott A. Brister has been a Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas since November 2003. He was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve the remainder of departing Justice Craig T. Enoch's term, and was elected to a six-year term in November 2004. refused to detail his beliefs about the separation of church and state
Democratic senators grilled Brister, who was nominated to the high court in November by Republican Gov. Rick Perry James Richard Perry (b. March 4, 1950) is a Republican politician and the Governor of Texas. He assumed office in December 2000 when then-Governor George W. Bush resigned to prepare for his inauguration as President of the United States. Gov. , about his viewpoint on religious liberty. Democratic Sen. Juan Hinojosa Juan Jesus “Chuy” Hinojosa (born 7 March 1946)[1] is a Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 20th District(Corpus Christi - McAllen). Election history Senate election history of Hinjosa. asked Brister if he believed' in the separation of church and state. Brister responded that it "depends on the circumstances." He also added that he never noticed any attorneys or juries influenced by his Ten Commandments display. Upon further prodding, Brister said the "two institutions are separate to the extent required to be kept separate." Democratic Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos said Brister's dodging of the questions on church-state separation was unlike anything he'd seen during his 20 years in the Texas Senate, The Houston Chronicle reported. The newspaper noted that a Houston lawyer filed a federal lawsuit in 1998 to force removal of Brister's Commandments display. The federal judge tossed out the lawsuit, however, on grounds that the attorney did not have standing to bring it. |
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