2006
ACLJ Represents Members of Congress in Asking Federal Court to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging National Motto “In God We Trust”
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(Washington, DC) – The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), specializing in constitutional law, today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in federal court in Sacramento, California on behalf of 47 members of Congress in support of the federal government’s request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
“We believe the court should dismiss this lawsuit which has no basis in fact and represents another flawed attempt to use the legal system to remove a legitimate reference to the religious heritage of our nation,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. “The nation’s history is replete with examples of acknowledgment of religious belief in the public sector. And the Supreme Court has repeatedly referenced the national motto as a legitimate expression of our religious heritage. It’s clear that the national motto is not only permissible, but constitutional as well and we’re hopeful that the federal district court will dismiss this frivolous lawsuit.”
The ACLJ amicus brief supports the federal government’s request asking the federal district court to dismiss the lawsuit filed last November by California atheist Michael Newdow. “In God We Trust” appears on U.S. currency and has been the official U.S. motto since 1956.
The ACLJ brief said the legal challenge to the national motto can have other ramifications as well.
The brief states: “A decision in this case invalidating the motto would render constitutionally suspect a number of practices that traditionally have been considered an important part of American society. Nothing in the Supreme Court’s Establishment Clause jurisprudence requires the relentless extirpation of public references to God that Plaintiff demands. Whether it be in the national motto, the Pledge of Allegiance, patriotic music, or the nation’s founding documents, such references are wholly consistent with the First Amendment.”
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