Ernest Istook

Ernest Istook is a Republican representative of Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1997 he introduced legislation calling on Congress to enact a “Religious Freedom Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution. In the following viewpoint, taken from remarks on the House floor in 1998, Istook explains what his amendment is meant to accomplish and why he believes it to be necessary. He contends that religious freedom in America as envisioned by the writers of the Constitution has been compromised by Supreme Court decisions that have banned organized prayer in schools, religious displays on public property, and other instances of religious practice. The Constitution must be amended to clearly establish and protect the rights of all people to practice their religion, he asserts. Istook...