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''Torcaso v. Watkins'', was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court reaffirmed that the United States Constitution prohibits States and the Federal Government from requiring any kind of religious test for public office, in the specific case, as a notary public. ==Background== In the early 1960s, the Governor of Maryland appointed Roy Torcaso (November 13, 1910 – June 9, 2007)〔.〕 as a notary public. At the time, the Constitution of Maryland required "a declaration of belief in the existence of God" in order for a person to hold "any office of profit or trust in this State".〔Constitution of Maryland, Article 37.〕 Torcaso, an atheist, refused to make such a statement, and his appointment was consequently revoked. Torcaso, believing his constitutional rights to freedom of religious expression had been infringed, filed suit in a Maryland Circuit Court, only to be rebuffed. The Circuit Court rejected his claim, and the Maryland Court of Appeals held that the requirement in the Maryland Constitution for a declaration of belief in God as a qualification for office was self-executing〔 (reproduced on TheFreeDictionary.com).〕 and did not require any implementing legislation to be enacted by the state legislature. The Court of Appeals justified its decision thus: Torcaso took the matter to the United States Supreme Court, where it was heard on April 24, 1961. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Torcaso v. Watkins」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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