Rep. Boozman Votes to Protect the Pledge of Allegiance

Rep. Boozman Votes to Protect the Pledge of Allegiance

U.S. Representative John Boozman today voted for the Pledge Protection Act (H.R. 2389) and spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to support the legislation.

In his comments, Boozman stated, "The Pledge of Allegiance is not just a statement that our kids rehearse in schools - it is an expression of who we are as Americans. The American people are united by devotion not just to the flag, but to our country. And our devotion is not just to the republic, but to our principles, including ‘liberty and justice for all'."

Boozman went on to say, "This pledge, which school children and adults across the country recite, should not be re-written on a whim by a few judges, against the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans."

H.R. 2389 would prohibit any federal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court, from hearing or deciding any question regarding the interpretation or validity of the Pledge of Allegiance. The bill would not affect any state court's ability to hear a case regarding the Pledge. However, any decision from such a case would only affect that one state.

An almost identical bill, H.R. 2028, passed the House during the 108th Congress by a vote of 247-173 on September 23, 2004. The House also passed H.Res. 132 in 2003, reaffirming the phrase "one Nation under God" in the Pledge and repudiating the Ninth Circuit Court's decision in the Newdow v. United States Congress case.

The Pledge of Allegiance, as stated in current law (4 U.S.C. 4) is: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=47293