Associated Press: WEST PALM BEACH: A measure to ban the use of foreign laws in US courtrooms is progressing in Florida’s statehouse. Critics call this one of the many unwarranted campaigns driven by fear of Muslims across the country.
Forty such bills are being pursued in 24 states, according to a count by the National

Conference of State Legislatures. Supporters say the movement is a response to a glaring hole in legal protections for Americans. Opponents say the bills address a made-up threat and could threaten agreements made under Jewish or other religious law. “There have been all sorts of wild accusations about what this bill does,” said Republican Senator Alan Hays, who sponsored the Senate bill in Florida. “This is very clear, very simple: In American courts we need American laws and no other.”
The Florida measure passed the House on Thursday and awaits a full vote in the Senate.
If passed, Florida would join three other states — Louisiana, Arizona and Tennessee — in approving legislation curtailing the use of foreign laws. An Oklahoma ballot measure got 70 percent approval, but it went a step further in specifically mentioning Shariah, the Islamic system of law. A federal court has blocked the measure’s implementation until its constitutionality is determined. The twin House and Senate bills in Florida make no mention of Shariah law or any other specific foreign system. The language of the legislation, in fact, seems innocuous, outlawing the use of foreign law only when it violates rights guaranteed by the US Constitution, and only in certain domestic situations, such as divorces and child custody cases.