Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration
Encyclopedia
The Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration is a conservative, religious organization formed in early 2005 that runs the website StopActivistJudges.org.
The council is descended from the Dallas Group. It is currently chaired by Rick Scarborough
. The council's executive director is Philip Jauregui, former counsel to Chief Justice Roy Moore
. In April 2005, Scarborough was quoted as saying that his group was needed because of, "Activist judges
...(whose) distortions of the Constitution have brought us abortion-on-demand
, purged religious symbols from public places, made our schools faith-free zones, created a so-called right to homosexual sodomy
and threatened 'one nation under God
' in the pledge of allegiance
. Now, judges seem intent on imposing same-sex marriage
by fiat." http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=45424 According to the group's website, "Each progressive step down the road to the secularization of America has come not through a referendum of the people, or an act of their elected representatives, but rather at the stroke of a judge’s pen."
and Concerned Women for America
; conservative activists Alan Keyes
and Morton C. Blackwell; the lawyer for Terri Schiavo
's parents; Alabama
's "Ten Commandments
" judge, Roy Moore
; and [Rep. Tom] DeLay
, who canceled to attend the pope's funeral."
The event brought together lawmakers and Capitol Hill staffers with theocrats, adherents of Christian Reconstructionism
, a Calvinist doctrine that calls for the biblical law to rule American law.
In a session titled "Remedies to Judicial Tyranny," a constitutional lawyer named Edwin Vieira discussed United States Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion in Lawrence vs. Texas, which struck down that state's anti-sodomy law. Kennedy was accused of relying on "Marxist, Leninist, Satanic principals drawn from foreign law" in his jurisprudence.
According to the group's website, "April 7-8 proved to be a divine appointment. There was no way of knowing, humanly speaking, how significant that time would be in the life of our Republic"; Schiavo had died and "the federal judiciary, up to and including the United States Supreme Court, also turned a deaf ear to repeated pleas to save Terri." The group claims that the conference was responsible for creating "a movement... to restore the Constitution to its true meaning and original glory."
The council is descended from the Dallas Group. It is currently chaired by Rick Scarborough
Rick Scarborough
Rick Scarborough is a former Southern Baptist pastor from Pearland, Texas, who heads Vision America, Vision America Action and the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration.-Biography:...
. The council's executive director is Philip Jauregui, former counsel to Chief Justice Roy Moore
Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore is an American jurist and Republican politician noted for his refusal, as the elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse despite orders to do so from a federal judge...
. In April 2005, Scarborough was quoted as saying that his group was needed because of, "Activist judges
Judicial activism
Judicial activism describes judicial ruling suspected of being based on personal or political considerations rather than on existing law. It is sometimes used as an antonym of judicial restraint. The definition of judicial activism, and which specific decisions are activist, is a controversial...
...(whose) distortions of the Constitution have brought us abortion-on-demand
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, purged religious symbols from public places, made our schools faith-free zones, created a so-called right to homosexual sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
and threatened 'one nation under God
One Nation Under God
One Nation Under God is the fourth album by solo artist B. E. Taylor. It was released in 2004.The album features 9 renditions of popular patriotic songs, and one new song .-Track listing:#"Pledge of Allegiance" - 2:45...
' in the pledge of allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
. Now, judges seem intent on imposing same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
by fiat." http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=45424 According to the group's website, "Each progressive step down the road to the secularization of America has come not through a referendum of the people, or an act of their elected representatives, but rather at the stroke of a judge’s pen."
Confronting The Judicial War On Faith
The group's April 2005 conference, Confronting The Judicial War On Faith, attracted many prominent conservatives. According to the Washington Post, "The two-day program listed two House members; aides to two senators; representatives from the Family Research CouncilFamily Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
and Concerned Women for America
Concerned Women for America
Concerned Women for America is a conservative Christian public policy group active in the United States best known for its stance against abortion...
; conservative activists Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
and Morton C. Blackwell; the lawyer for Terri Schiavo
Terri Schiavo
The Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle in the United States between the legal guardians and the parents of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo that lasted from 1998 to 2005...
's parents; Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's "Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
" judge, Roy Moore
Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore is an American jurist and Republican politician noted for his refusal, as the elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse despite orders to do so from a federal judge...
; and [Rep. Tom] DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
, who canceled to attend the pope's funeral."
The event brought together lawmakers and Capitol Hill staffers with theocrats, adherents of Christian Reconstructionism
Christian Reconstructionism
Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Evangelical Christianity that calls for Christians to put their faith into action in all areas of life, within the private sphere of life and the public and political sphere as well...
, a Calvinist doctrine that calls for the biblical law to rule American law.
In a session titled "Remedies to Judicial Tyranny," a constitutional lawyer named Edwin Vieira discussed United States Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion in Lawrence vs. Texas, which struck down that state's anti-sodomy law. Kennedy was accused of relying on "Marxist, Leninist, Satanic principals drawn from foreign law" in his jurisprudence.
According to the group's website, "April 7-8 proved to be a divine appointment. There was no way of knowing, humanly speaking, how significant that time would be in the life of our Republic"; Schiavo had died and "the federal judiciary, up to and including the United States Supreme Court, also turned a deaf ear to repeated pleas to save Terri." The group claims that the conference was responsible for creating "a movement... to restore the Constitution to its true meaning and original glory."
Books
- Judicial Tyranny: The New Kings of America? by Mark Sutherland 2005. ISBN 0-9753455-6-7 Features conservative perspectives on the United States judicial system from Mark Sutherland, US Attorney General Ed Meese, Ambassador Alan Keyes, Dave Meyer, Phyllis Schlafly, the Honorable Howard Phillips, Alan Sears, William Federer, Ben DuPre, Rev. Rick Scarborough, David Gibbs, Mathew Staver, Don Feder, Roy Moore, James Dobson and Herb Titus.