Washington, USA - A day after the Supreme Court ruled on a pair of cases concerning Ten Commandments displays on public property, a survey by the First Amendment Center shows 70% of Americans approve such postings.
The survey released yesterday also reveals that 85% would approve if the Commandments are included as "one document among many historical documents" when displayed in public buildings. The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, speech and the press and Americans' right to assemble and petition the government.
The court offered a pair of rulings Monday on the permissibility of Ten Commandments displays, striking down framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses but upholding a 6-foot granite monument on a 22-acre lot surrounding the Texas Capitol.
The court held that the exhibits could continue if their main purpose was to honor the nation's legal, rather than religious, traditions, and if they didn't promote one religious sect over another. How long an exhibit has stood and its location also will determine its constitutionality.
"The court is in line where public opinion seems to be," said Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center.
The survey, which poses several questions about the First Amendment, is conducted annually by the Nashville-based center, which collaborated with American Journalism Review magazine.
One thousand respondents were surveyed by telephone between May 13 and May 23. The sampling error was plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.
Another key finding of the survey is that 63% oppose adopting a constitutional amendment to give Congress the power to punish flag desecration as a form of protest — up from 53% in 2004.
Last week, the U.S. House approved a proposed amendment that would give Congress the right to pass laws prohibiting physical desecration of the American flag. The measure is now before the U.S. Senate, which is expected to consider it sometime after July 4.
"In general, I think the survey shows Americans are more focused," Policinski said. "They're more knowledgeable about the First Amendment."