![]() In time, this became standard legal procedure-all witnesses swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth-and made its way into American courts. By placing a hand on the book and then kissing it, the oath-taker is acknowledging that, should he lie under oath, neither the words in the Bible nor his good deeds nor his prayers will bring him any earthly or spiritual profit. An unnamed thirteenth-century Latin manuscript, now held in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, sets out the method and the significance of the act. ![]() Three centuries later, English courts adopted the practice, requiring jury members and individuals in particular trials to take an oath on the Bible. The earliest Western use of oath books in a legal setting dates to ninth-century England when, in the absence of a structured royal government, certain transactions were conducted at the altar, the participants swearing on a gospel book. Legally, if not diplomatically, “Moby-Dick” or “The Cat in the Hat” would have been just as acceptable. This explains why LeVine was able to swear over the Constitution rather than the Bible, which is a much more common choice. ![]() There is no constitutional requirement for any federal official-firefighter, ambassador, or President-to take the oath of office over a particular text or, in fact, over any text at all. In LeVine’s formulation, it becomes not merely the most modern or practical choice but also the most meaningful.īut the use of any text during a swearing-in ceremony is, if not exactly a gimmick, at least more style than substance. (She has spent much of her career working in technology, at Microsoft and Expedia.) Her words were a gentle rebuke to people who are inclined to see the use of an e-reader as a gimmick. “As cool as a copy of the Constitution from the eighteenth century would have been, I wanted to use a copy that is from the twenty-first century, and that reflects my passion for technology and my hope for the future,” LeVine said. Explaining her decision, LeVine acknowledged this appeal. ![]() The photos of LeVine during the ceremony, her hand resting on a flat gray rectangle, make vivid by its absence the appeal of paper and ink and a fancy binding. She used her own Kindle Touch, “open” to the Nineteenth Amendment, which states that no citizen should be prevented from voting on account of their sex. LeVine, on the other hand, decided in advance that she would swear on an e-reader. ![]()
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