Statement on the 9th Circuit Court Ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance

            by CA Representative Anna Eshoo, 14^th Congressional District

 

In a two to one decision in Newdow vs. U.S. Congress, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and a California's school district policy which requires teachers to lead willing school children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The House of Representatives passed House Resolution 459 which expresses the sense of the House that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals erroneously decided Newdow vs. U.S. Congress. The Resolution also states that the phrase, "one nation, under God," should remain in the Pledge of Allegiance and that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals should agree to rehear the ruling in order to reverse the decision.  I voted for the Resolution

I believe in the separation of Church and State and that government should not endorse religion.  However, I think that in this case reciting the Pledge of Allegiance does not suppress someone's religious or non-religious beliefs because the Pledge has become a traditional, not religious, reference to a higher power.