TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A Senate bill has cleared a bill that would ban Shariah law and other foreign legal codes from Florida courts.
The bill (SB 58) was passed Thursday by the Governmental Oversight and Accountability committee by a party-line vote of 6-3.
Bill sponsor Alan Hays said the measure was a "preemptive gesture" and that there have yet been no cases in which a court applied foreign law against U.S. constitutional rights. His bill is aimed at divorces and child custody cases and does not mention Shariah - or Islamic law - specifically.
Several Muslim speakers spoke against the bill. One man broke into tears as he spoke to lawmakers. He said Muslims and other religious minorities did not want to be "second class citizens."
