Petition Drive Urges Congress To Curb Federal Judiciary
By: Administrative Account | Source: CNSNews.com
November 19, 2003 11:00AM EST

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
November 19, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - Defenders of the U.S. Constitution want Congress to limit the jurisdiction of federal courts on religious matters. Grassroots activists announced on Wednesday that they are launching a national petition drive with that goal in mind.

The St. Louis-based National Coalition to Restore the Constitution said it plans hold rallies in all 50 state capitals on Saturday, Nov. 22, to gather the first signatures on its petition.

"What we are demanding is that Congress honor its oath and do its duty by passing legislation that stops the federal courts from taking cases that would restrict or regulate religious speech or activity if ruled upon," said NCRC spokesperson Debbie Hopper.

The NCRC said its petition drive stems from numerous federal cases that have curbed religious speech and activities, including the recent federal court ruling that ordered Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state courthouse.

In a press release, the NCRC said it hopes to ignite a "grassroots brush-fire" that will secure religious liberty and speech for all Americans.

Hopper noted that the federal government is allowed to exercise only those powers that are listed in the Constitution. "What we want is for the federal courts to stay within their constitutionally defined boundaries," she said.

"Nowhere in the Constitution is the power to decide or legislate over matters of religion, religious speech, or activity in the states delegated to the federal government," Hopper added.

The NCRC emphasized that the First Amendment prohibits Congress from making laws concerning the establishment of religion; and furthermore, the First Amendment bans Congress from making laws that in any way prohibit the free exercise of religion.

The NCRC said the First Amendment was not intended to make the federal government "the almighty regulator and enforcer of restrictions on speech and religious activity."

"This petition simply seeks what the Constitution already demands, but which is being grossly violated," Hopper said. "The federal government needs to get out of the business of illicitly regulating religious speech and deciding religious issues and to allow these important matters to be dealt with in more local jurisdictions, closer to the people, where they truly belong."

Saturday's rallies are just the start of the petition drive, the NCRC said.

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