Forcing Bible Oath in Church Violates Law
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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A prosecutor violated a woman’s rights when he forced her to swear on a Bible in church that she didn’t molest her son, a judge ruled.
It amounted to a government-sponsored religious exercise, U.S. District Judge Charles L. Brieant ruled Friday.
The woman was accused by her estranged husband of sexually abusing her 14-year-old son. She and the boy denied the charge, and social workers agreed it was unfounded, according to court papers.
However, a prosecutor allegedly told her to take the oath or face trial. The woman swore on a Bible in a Catholic church in front of her family and two priests. The charges were then dropped.
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