Which state constitutions still ban atheists from public office?
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Seven state constitutions still ban atheists from holding public office, even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1961 that states can’t impose a religious test for public office.
Getting rid of those bans is a priority for nonbelievers, the New York Times reports. A group formed this year, the Openly Secular coalition, plans to lobby lawmakers in the seven states to eliminate the constitutional bans.
The states that still ban atheists from public office are Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Few politicians are willing to lead the charge to eliminate the atheist bans, according to George Washington University emeritus law professor Ira Lupu. “Which politician was going to get up and say, ‘We’re really going to clean this up’?” he said in an interview with the Times.
