JLS
The Bible and the Constitution
A fascinating excerpt from the Marquette Law Review, Winter 2001:
In 1906, an interviewer, seizing upon Justice Brewer’s turn of phrase, asked Harlan whether it was true that he went to bed “with the Bible in one hand and the Constitution of the United States in the other?” [Interview by James B. Morrow with John Marshall Harlan, WASH. POST, Feb. 25, 1906, in JOHN MARSHALL HARLAN PAPERS, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS]
After observing that he could not remember ever going to bed precisely so encumbered and stating that he “did not profess to be a theologian,” Harlan went on to respond to the question with a brief statement about his religious beliefs:
“I fully believe in both the Bible and the Constitution…. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Nothing which it commands can be safely or properly disregarded; nothing that it condemns can be justified. No civilization is worth preserving which is not based on the doctrines or teachings of the Bible. No nation that habitually ignores or violates the rules prescribed by it for the conduct and government of the human race, can long last. This country is, in a large sense, a Christian country, and its adherence to the fundamental doctrines of Christianity is becoming more and more every year a marked feature in American civilization.”
[This article appeared in a number of newspapers. There are several copies of it, clipped from different newspapers, in the Harlan Papers.]
Source: Marquette Law Review, V 85, Number 2
Welcome to American Judicial Alliance!
Awakening the Conscience of One Nation Under God!
Setting an example for all lower courts, the State Supreme Courts of Alabama and Idaho have recently received commemorative Bibles in the tradition of the Harlan Bible in the custody of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Chief Justice Roger Burdick of the Idaho Supreme Court expressed gratitude on behalf of his Court stating that the Idaho Supreme Court “voted to begin the tradition of having justices of the Court sign the Bibles as is done with the Harlan Bible.” CLICK HERE to view Chief Justice Burdick’s letter.
These courts join the Louisiana and Texas Supreme Courts in receiving Harlan Tradition Bibles along with federal, state, and local courts in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, and Ohio.
American Judicial Alliance (AJA) promotes the respect due to courts and judicial officers by recapturing the vitality of America’s Organic Laws.
AJA is a coalition of citizens affirming that the integrity, legitimacy and public favor of America’s judiciary are best served by interpreting laws, including the Constitution, according to the documents’ text and structure, giving due regard to legislative intent.
By placing commemorative signatory Bibles in America’s courts – in the tradition of Justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911) who donated a Bible to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1906 – AJA is “Awakening the Conscience of One Nation Under God.”
Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson with Retired Justice Raul Gonzalez and five justices of the Supreme Court of Texas receive a Court Presentation Bible as Retired Judge Darrell White holds the Harlan Bible replica.
So far, through the efforts of AJA, over 200 Court Presentation Bibles have been dedicated to follow the tradition of the U.S. Supreme Court’s “Harlan Bible.” On March 12th, 1906, Justice John Marshall Harlan dedicated a Bible to the Court. Since that date, every U.S. Supreme Court justice has signed the Bible’s flyleaf, a tradition now being replicated across America by American Judicial Alliance. Click here to read more about the Bible Project of American Judicial Alliance!
Support and coverage of AJA’s mission has come from Supreme Court justices, active and retired judges, newspapers, magazines, and concerned citizens.
Recent Gallup polling data shows that America’s confidence in our Supreme Court is on the decline. AJA, in keeping with the “Lawyer’s Oath,” seeks to “maintain the respect due to Courts of Justice and judicial officers.”
In bringing its message across America, AJA gives special attention to the American System of Law and the American Way of Life.
End of Year Message
Click here to view an End of Year Message from Retired Judge Darrell White.
Now is a great time to send in your year end gift to take the Gospel to the Courts. Click the “Giving” tab to help American Judicial Alliance “Awaken the Conscience of One Nation Under God.” We appreciate you so much!
American Judicial Alliance @ Profamily Legislators Conference
Left to Right: Jason Stern, David Barton, Darrell White
AJA is a featured speaker at Wallbuilders ProFamily Legislators Conference this afternoon here at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Judge White will address the audience of legislators from all over the U.S. On the topic: Words have Consequences.
Jason Stern and Judge White have had many networking opportunities with these wonderful lawmakers.
Thanks to David Barton, Kristy Stedman and the whole staff for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful event!
Constitution Day!
“The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good is essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man.”
– James Madison
On Constitution Day 2010, Retired Judge Darrell White addressed classes at two different schools in Baton Rouge. Pictured here is Judge White with an elementary class at Highland Elementary and below, he is speaking to students at Buchanan Elementary School. The students learned more about the U.S. Constitution today!
In addition, we hosted several first year law students for lunch at the American Judicial Alliance Headquarters and discussed Constitutional Law, with a particular focus on the First Amendment.
We are gearing up for our trip to the Texas State Judicial Conference next week. If you’re in Corpus Christi on Wednesday, come on out and visit our booth!
Justice Brewer on Character
“It is a mistake to suppose that the Supreme Court is either honored or helped by being spoken of as beyond criticism. On the contrary, the life and character of its Justices should be the objects of more constant watchfulness by all and its judgment subject to the freest criticism. The time is past in the history of the world when any living man or body of men can be set on a pedestal and decorated with a halo. True, many criticisms may be like their authors, devoid of good taste, but better all sorts of criticism than no criticism at all.”
— Hon. David J. Brewer, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, in an address before the Marquette Club of Chicago, 1898.
Deep in the Heart of Texas!
American Judicial Alliance will attend the Texas State Judicial Conference in just a few weeks. Over six hundred courts will be represented at this conference and AJA will be ready! We’ll have a booth in the convention area and plan to meet lots of judges!
Six hundred judges is a lot of judges to be sure! …And that means a lot of Bibles for Courts. Our plan is to place signatory Bibles in every court in America in the fashion of the Harlan Bible at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Help us bring the Gospel to the Courts by joining American Judicial Alliance.
Judge McIntyre Interview
Retired Judge White interviews Judge Rudy McIntyre after the Winnsboro speaking event:
Worried about America’s Future? We have Answers. Become a member of American Judical Alliance today.
Printable Brochure Now Available
Want to help us get the word out about American Judicial Alliance?
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Help the work of American Judicial Alliance. Become a member today!
Franklin Sun Features AJA
Article From the Franklin Sun:
Appealing to a Higher Court
Retired Judge Brings Bibles to the Bench
By Tom Bonnette, The Franklin Sun, May 12th, 2010, Page 7A
Fifth Judicial District Court Judge Rudy Mclntyre (left) holds a copy of the Harlan Bible presented to him by retired Baton Rouge City Judge Darrell White. Also pictured is Jason Stern, vice president of the American Judicial Alliance. (Sun photo by Tom Bonnette)
The Bible is a fundamental building block of our nation’s legal system and retired Baton Rouge City Judge Darrell White wants to make sure that isn’t forgotten. White, who is on a quest to place “Harlan Bibles” in every courtroom in the country, is founder of the American Judicial Alliance, a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to “awaken the conscience of one nation under God” by recapturing the vitality of America’s organic laws – the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He was in Franklin Parish Friday at the Winnsboro Rotary Club’s monthly luncheon at Brown’s Landing to ask for prayers and support.
“We are asking people like you, who think that this is important, to help us to put one of these Bibles in every single courtroom in America,” White said. The Bible is a replica of the Bible donated by to the U.S. Supreme Court by Justice John Marshall Harlan in 1906. The original Harlan Bible is kept by the Supreme Court Curator and holds the signatures of every U.S. Supreme Court Justice since 1906 when it was donated. Judges have been invited to sign the inside leaflets of the more than 100 Bibles donated by the Retired Judges of America that White has helped place in courtrooms over the last few years.
He believes the Bibles will serve as a reminder that we are “one nation under God” and that the U.S. Constitution should be the guiding factor in our judicial system. “It’s the supreme law of the land. Unless we pay attention to it, it’s just so many words,” White said. “The question is whether or not we are going to follow the Constitution and adhere to it.”
A Harlan Bible donated to the Fifth Judicial District Court by the RJA a year ago that is signed by Judge E. Rudolph Mclntyre and Judge Terry A. Doughty was on display at the luncheon. To help White place similar Bibles in other courtrooms, the Winnsboro Rotary Club donated $150. More is needed, said Jason Stern, vice president of AJA. “Every little bit that we can gather together helps us make a difference in bringing back our nation to the nation of our founders for the next generation,” Stern said. Justice Harlan is best remembered as the lone dissenting voice in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case, in which a Louisiana statue that called for “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races” was upheld as constitutional. To help the RJA and AJA donate Bibles, call (225) 603-2544.