Co. Judge Price donated his stipend to charity. It was particularly fitting that this year's ceremony was held on May 29, the 80th anniversary of President Kennedy's birth. His election in 1960 was a milestone in the ongoing battle against religious intolerance. Though he has been vilified by many of his constituents as being antireligion, Judge Price has in fact made a heroic stance to defend our country's proud history of religious tolerance and diversity. It is too easy to criticize public officials, to dismiss their profession, to diminish their contributions, to question their motives.
Democracy faces enough challenges without saddling it with doubt and cynicism.
Rather than teach young Americans to ridicule the men and women who actively participate in politics, we should offer them examples of excellence and courage. Judge Charles Price is such an example. Although the lawsuit was dismissed, Governor Fob James and the state of Alabama filed Suit against Judge Moore, the ACLU and the American Freethought Association in an effort to get a state judge to rule whether Judge Moore's actions were unconstitutional. In September 1996 all parties agreed to forego a trial and let Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Charles Price decide the issue. Judge Price ruled in November 1996 that although prayer in the courtroom is unconstitutional, Judge Moore's display of the Ten Commandments could remain.