Ten Commandments Dispute

By Cynthia Kirk
Broadcast: August 29, 2003
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS.
Many people have watched a dispute over the placement of a stone marker in the American state of 1)Alabama. The marker represents the Ten 2)Commandments -- rules for living that some religions say came directly from God.
On Wednesday, workers removed the Ten Commandments monument from the center of a government building in Alabama. The workers acted on a court order from a federal judge. The judge had ruled that leaving the monument in a public place 3)violated the United States 4)Constitution.
The Chief Justice of Alabama's Supreme¹ Court, Roy Moore, put the stone marker in the state 5)courthouse two years ago. Mister Moore is a Christian². He was known for his support of the Ten Commandments when the state's voters elected him chief justice in two-thousand. The Ten Commandments are a list of rules for living. Christians³, Jews, and Muslims honor these directives as the word of God.
Lawyers representing several groups took legal action to have the Ten Commandments monument removed from the Alabama courthouse. They argued that putting it there was 6)unconstitutional.
Last year, Federal District Judge Myron Thompson ruled that the monument's placement violated the First Amendment⁴ of the Constitution. The First Amendment guarantees that religion and government will be separate in America. Judge Thompson ordered the monument removed by August Twentieth. He said that it could be put in a private area in the courthouse.
Chief Justice Moore appealed the judge's ruling. He argued that America's legal system is based on the Ten Commandments. He also said he has the constitutional right to recognize God. But a federal appeals court and the United States Supreme Court both rejected his appeals.
Still, Chief Justice Moore decided⁵ to leave the monument where it was. But Alabama's associate Supreme Court justices, the governor and the state's lawyer disagreed. The eight judges voted last week to move the two and one-half ton marker.
Alabama's Judicial⁶ Inquiry⁷ Commission then suspended Chief Justice Moore on charges of violating court rules. The Court of the Judiciary could decide to punish or even remove him from the high court. Mister Moore has thirty days to answer the charges against him.
Supporters of the monument's removal say it is a great victory for the rule of law and the honor of religious choice. But Roy Moore and his supporters have said they will continue their fight to return it to the center of the courthouse.
Under a nineteen-ninety-four federal appeals court ruling, signs with the Ten Commandments may not be placed in courthouses in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. In recent years, courts also rejected efforts to place similar signs in South Carolina and Kentucky.
This VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

注释：
1) Alabama [7AlE5bAmE] n.阿拉巴马州（美国的一个州）
2) commandment [kE5mB:n(d)mEnt] n.戒律
3) violate [5vaiEleit] vt.违犯
4) constitution [7kCnsti5tju:FEn] n.宪法
5) courthouse [5kC:t7haus] n.法院
6) unconstitutional [5QnkCnsti5tju:FEnEl] adj.违反宪法的

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

4 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

7 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。