Ohio Republican proposes unconstitutional push for public schools to display the Ten Commandments
Ohio's lawmakers might decide whether to join Louisiana and Kentucky in passing laws that push public school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments. Such laws have repeatedly been struck down as unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment's prohibition of governments' 'establishment of religion.'
Republican state Sen. Terry Johnson of McDermott thinks he can maneuver around these court precedents by claiming his bill is simply one requiring schools to post 'historical displays.'
Given our current federal court leanings, he may well succeed. But in doing so his SB 34, the Historical Educational Displays Act, will institutionalize the very sort of indoctrination the GOP claims to oppose.
Johnson's clever solution to get around a chain of Supreme Court decisions striking down such displays is to have every school board choose from a state list of 'historical documents,' one of which just happens to be the Ten Commandments.
Others on this list include perennial favorites, many already gracing many classroom walls, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. A few less popular charters, such as the Magna Carta, and Northwest Ordinance, and the Articles of Confederation, round out the list.
While few citizens will pack into their school auditoriums to argue over whether the Magna Carta or the Northwest Ordinance should be posted in their little one's classroom, many will fight over the Ten Commandments.
Some, of course, will fight because they believe with Thomas Jefferson that there should be a wall between the state and the church. Others will fight over whose Ten Commandments should have the privilege and stamp of authority that posting in a public space by the government provides.
It is often forgotten in the course of these debates that every Abrahamic religious tradition has a different version of the Decalogue that is found in two places in most, but not all, Bibles, the twentieth chapter of Exodus or the fifth of Deuteronomy.
Just to illustrate how even small differences of translations can produce large differences in meaning, let me look at what is often described as the Fourth Commandment, which as legally required by Louisiana reads 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
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Of course, these are not the words that Moses told the people on Mount Horeb that God told him. According to the King James version, what Moses actually related was 'But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.' Nothing about being 'holy' here.
While the King James version is widely seen by many Christians as authoritative, the Contemporary Torah, a closer English translation of the original Hebrew, chooses not the softer terms 'manservant' and 'maidservant' but uses 'slave' instead.
The New Catholic Bible hews closer to the Hebrew as well using the phrase 'nor your male slave, nor your female slave.' Likewise the bible generally used by those of the Orthodox faith also uses the word slave.
There seemed to be some desire on the part of some faiths to disguise the language of slavery with euphemism. Like the King James Version, the English Standard Version popular with American Evangelicals avoids the word 'slave' and uses the word 'servant' in place of the more antique 'manservant.'
So, when complying with SB 34, which wording should a school board choose? Should schools teach their children to be kind to their slaves by giving them Sunday off or not?
Or should we just unleash this bill on Ohio and reopen the Bible wars of the 19th Century that violently raged over the question of whether the Catholic or King James Bibles should be used in school?
In some ways, Johnson's end run around the Constitution is actually more threatening to the separation of church and state than Louisiana's law that simply required the display of the Commandments.
Louisiana made no excuses for their imposition of a religious doctrine upon the schools, and such pure religious indoctrination can be readily seen for what is, the establishment of religion in violation of the First Amendment.
But SB 34 justifies the placement of the Ten Commandments as a 'historical document' essential to understanding the nature of American government, falsely implying that the United States republic was founded on a particular understanding of Christianity.
In fact, of course, the Founders were well aware of how mixing church and state can spark religious fights that fracture both.
If SB 34 passes, the truth of the Founders' wisdom will be on display as will be evident by the shouting matches and worse coming to a school board meeting near you.
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Politico
5 hours ago
- Politico
Playbook: Six months in
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New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump's party-splitting Epstein dilemma: Letters to the Editor — July 21, 2025
The Issue: President Trump's response to criticism of the Justice Department's Jeffrey Epstein findings. Take a breath, and consider these facts: The Biden administration had access to whatever Jeffrey Epstein documents existed for the entire time that it was in office (''Epstein hoax' not welcome in MAGA,' July 17). Don't you think that the team that invented 'lawfare' would have exposed anything reflecting negatively on President Trump or any Republicans? Epstein had a successful, high-level career in finance before anyone was aware of his sick perversion. He interacted with many well-known and well-heeled individuals in legitimate interactions. Given these facts, how could you release any names in Epstein's notes without context? If you met him with a group of people at a function, and he made a note of it, you'd be smeared by association. Thomas Smith Sarasota, Fla. Although I'm a lifelong Republican, I'm switching my voter registration, and I'll be supporting Democrats in the midterms; we all should. There's no excuse for not prosecuting pedophiles in the Epstein case, and there's even less excuse for attacking one's own supporters for thinking so. Harry Knopp Ripley, WV I honestly believe there is a major coverup. A high-profile inmate conveniently committed suicide and how convenient that all of a sudden there is no list. Prince Andrew was caught and booted out. Clinton was on the plane with Jeffrey Epstein several times and his prior actions speak volumes. Why don't they ask his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell? You're trying to say she doesn't know anything about who else was involved? I am just surprised Maxwell hasn't committed suicide while in jail. She has to have knowledge of this. Bring her before the Department of Justice. Robert Caprio Nutley, NJ The current controversy about releasing the Epstein files fails to consider the difficult choices related to First Amendment protections. While transparency is the current catchword, there are many instances where the public's right to know is secondary to a person's right to privacy and freedom from governmental interference. I want to assure your readers that I have many doubts about Epstein's death, and great curiosity about the alleged client list. But, at the same time, the fact that someone traveled with Epstein or stayed at his resort is not, in itself, a criminal act. On balance, I opt for not releasing any alleged list that may be in the possession of the DOJ. Sidney Baumgarten North Brunswick, NJ Usually, the easiest way to stop a rumor is to provide the public with access to the available information, unless there are issues with the information or names in it that could bias an audience or suggest guilt. Unfortunately, our president believes that the only truth is what he tells us, not what is factual. Alan Swartz Verona, NJ I bleed MAGA red, so I'm not sure who Miranda Devine is referring to when she writes that Trump's base wants the truth about Epstein ('MAGA base wants truth on Epstein,' July 17). I couldn't care less. Sure, I feel terrible for Epstein's victims and there are plenty of sick, depraved individuals out there who need to be arrested and thrown in jail. But Republicans have far greater things to worry about than a dead creep who hung out with Bill Clinton. If the Epstein scandal was so important to the Dems, why weren't they more transparent when they had the chance? Republicans need to stick together, support Trump and make sure as few Democrats as possible get elected to prevent them from wrecking our country. That's what the president's base wants. Michael D'Auria Bronxville The extremely wealthy have had privileges from the beginning of time. Kings, past presidents and dictators have mistresses without censure or open complaint; yet when a group of wealthy people cavort within their group it becomes a cause célèbre. Paul Alexander Ontario, Canada Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
Business Insider
12 hours ago
- Business Insider
Trump's $10 billion suit against Rupert Murdoch could force him to reveal more about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
President Donald Trump's latest defamation suit, filed in response to a recent story by The Wall Street Journal, could ultimately reveal more details about the president's relationship with the late financier, Jeffrey Epstein. Trump on Friday filed the lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson, and Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo. The suit, which seeks at least $10 billion in damages, accuses the group of committing defamation by publishing an article about a suggestive letter bearing Trump's name that the Journal reported was given to Epstein on his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump has denied that he wrote the letter. Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor who served as lead attorney for Sandy Hook families in their defamation suit against Alex Jones, told BI that the lawsuit has three potential outcomes: the defendants move to dismiss the case with a limited discovery process, they skip the motion for dismissal and move instead for an open discovery process, or they settle out of court. If the suit doesn't settle — and there's no indication at this time that it will — the discovery process could make new revelations about Trump's ties to Epstein public, Mattei told BI. In a statement provided to Business Insider after the lawsuit was filed, a Dow Jones spokesperson said, "We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit." Representatives for News Corp., Trump's legal team, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. A potentially revealing discovery process Damon Dunn, a First Amendment and media attorney, told BI that, in order to win his suit, Trump would have to prove the story was false, damaging to his reputation, and published with constitutional or "actual" malice — a high legal standard requiring the plaintiff to prove the defendant knew the statement was false, or acted with reckless disregard for its veracity, when publishing it. "The provenance of the 'card' appears suspect, but, even so, is it defamatory that one millionaire sent a birthday card to another in 2003 before Epstein was discovered?" Dunn said, referring to the time before Epstein had been convicted of sex crimes. The discovery process could be limited to whether the Journal published with actual malice, even if it falsely attributed the card to Trump, Dunn said. That would be similar to when a court dismissed actor Justin Baldoni's defamation case against The New York Times, he added. However, Mattei said that the Journal may seek reciprocal discovery, meaning it can ask Trump to provide them with the information or evidence he has not only about the writing of the letter but also about his relationship with Epstein, even about the extent to which he was aware of Epstein's crimes. "If Trump's defense is that this was false, then any evidence suggesting that he had a relationship with Epstein, the degree to which that relationship was close or not, would be relevant to the question of whether or not it's likely Trump had any sort of role in this letter," Mattei said. "And so an aggressive Wall Street Journal here would seek broad discovery about the extent of Trump's relationship with Epstein." Dunn said it's possible the defendants may pursue a reciprocal discovery process, but it would be expensive, and Trump's relationship with Epstein would be of "questionable relevance" to the proceedings, so such a move may not be worth it in the end. Mattei said he felt Trump's case is unlikely to have merit, describing the suit as Trump's attempt to "explore what kind of power and leverage he has over the American media." Still, the judge will decide how long the procedural elements of the case take to play out. "There will be some period of weeks where The Wall Street Journal will be able to file its motion to dismiss if it wants to make a request for discovery, the judgment rule on that request could take a little bit more time," Mattei said. "And so if it is indeed contested, you could see the initial phase of this, including discovery, playing out over the next six months." Trump's long history with Epstein The suit against Murdoch and the Journal reporters comes as Trump continues to grapple with his ties to Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Trump has said that he was friends with Epstein for more than 15 years, beginning in the 1980s. The pair were regularly seen socializing at parties, and Trump told New York Magazine in 2002 that Epstein was a "terrific guy." Trump said in 2019 that he and Epstein had a "falling out" in 2004 after a real estate dispute, and he was "not a fan" of his former friend, The New York Times reported. Though publicly available documents related to Epstein's sex trafficking trial have not revealed any wrongdoing by Trump, his name and those of some of his family members were listed in one of Epstein's contact books, and Trump is mentioned as a passenger in flight logs for Epstein's private jets. As part of his reelection campaign, Trump promised he would make public all the available files related to the government's investigation into Epstein's crimes. After taking office, he changed his tune — and the Justice Department said it won't release any more " Epstein Files." In a Saturday post on Truth Social, Trump revisited the idea of releasing more Epstein-related documents, writing that he had asked the Justice Department to "release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval." "With that being said, and even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request," Trump said in the post. "It will always be more, more, more."
