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Ripped from today’s headlines, The Judge Who Stole Christmas is a look into contemporary America’s take on the country’s constitutional amendment of separation of church and state. Small town Possum, Virginia holds a live nativity every year in the town square. To avoid any sort of bias or problems, this year they have added a Santa sleigh and a lit Christmas tree. But, that doesn’t stop the ACLU from suing the town for violation of church and state.
Thomas Hammond is playing the part of Joseph in his church’s Live Nativity, when a fancy car with a slick looking man questions the right of the church to have Christianity represented there. Stating it is a violation of church and state, the man, who is an ACLU lawyer, presents papers to Thomas saying the ACLU is suing. Furious, Thomas uses the papers to scoop up animal dung. So begins the war between Possum and the ACLU.
The judge does rule the live nativity as unconstitutional and Thomas, who refuses to abide by what he considers and unjust ruling, ends up in jail. And, the battle continues.
With a judge who is more emotional than she appears, and a man who is more reasonable than he seems, The Judge Who Stole Christmas presents both sides of this heated debate in somber, but sometimes humorous ways.
Author and attorney Randy Singer pens a good tale (although I thought the end was maybe a little too neat), the characters are lively and stand by their convictions – no matter how misguided those convictions may be. A timely tale, The Judge Who Stole Christmas sheds a little light on a season that has potential to become warring and dark, keeping it peaceful and bright.
Reviewed by Linda Mae Baldwin
for The Road to Romance
October 28, 2005
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