# Source of this quote? Bible and Constitution **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote-bible-and-constitution/571004 "2011-02-11T09:49:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote-bible-and-constitution/571004/1 "2011-02-11T09:49:05Z")
A political appointee, during his confirmation hearings, affirmed his support of something–gay marriage, reproductive freedom, some hot-button issue–and one of the legislators said it sounded like something Jesus wouldn’t approve of. The appointee replied “Sir, I swore an oath on the Bible to preserve the Constitution, not the other way around.” Great quote, but damned if I can remember who said it. Does this ring any bells for anybody? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote-bible-and-constitution/571004/2 "2011-02-11T10:08:28Z")
[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/raskin.asp) says Jamie Raskin, a professor of law at American University, used a slightly different quote in 2006 when testifying on gay marriage before the Senate, but that Jesse Jackson Jr. said the exact quote back in 1997 against a House resolution which supported a judge who displayed the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote-bible-and-constitution/571004/3 "2011-02-11T10:32:29Z")
21 minutes. These boards are awesome!