Church & State: No Other Ornamentation

CHURCH & STATE

Ever since the Supreme Court outlawed prayer and Bible reading in public schools, some Congressmen have felt that the nine Justices needed a little reminder that the nation—and the court —was still subject to a higher authority. One method proposed by South Carolina Democrat Robert T. Ashmore, in a bill before the House, is to inscribe the words “In God We Trust” on the marble frieze above the Supreme Court bench.

Chief Justice Earl Warren has now ruled the idea out of order. In a letter to the Capitol architect, Warren expressed the judgment of his colleagues that “ornamentation other than that provided in the original plans would detract from the total concept of the building.”