Wicker Joins Fight To Defend National Motto
WICKER JOINS FIGHT TO DEFEND NATIONAL MOTTO
Legal action is under way in California challenging "In God We Trust" as our national motto and seeking to remove its inscription on U.S. coins and currency. I have joined the fight against this misguided attempt to erase this very proper expression of our country's religious history.
I am one of 47 Members of Congress who filed a friend-of-the court brief in support of the Justice Department's position opposing this lawsuit. We have done so in response to a suit filed in Sacramento last year by a California atheist challenging the constitutionality of three laws passed in the 1950s establishing "In God We Trust" as our motto and mandating its use on our currency.
The suit contends the motto violates the First Amendment ban on government establishment of religion and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed by Congress in 1993. The plaintiff says having the motto on U.S. currency advocates a belief in one God, which is contrary to his atheistic beliefs. He also contends that as a price for carrying and spending currency bearing this motto, it forces him to "advocate for monotheism, a religious belief system he expressly repudiates."
MOTTO HAS PATRIOTIC VALUE
A federal district judge dismissed this litigation in June, noting that the question was decided more than 35 years ago. He said the motto "is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no resemblance to a government sponsorship of a religious exercise." The plaintiff has appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California. A hearing date has not been set.
The brief filed on our behalf by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) urges the appeals court to uphold the June ruling. Our brief says, "While the First Amendment affords atheists complete freedom to disbelieve, it does not compel the federal judiciary to redact religious references in every area of public life in order to suit atheistic sensibilities."
'FREEDOMS COME FROM GOD'
I believe strongly in the argument we made that this strategy to purge all religious references from American life must not be allowed to succeed. We also noted that the words of the motto "echo the conviction held by the founders of this nation that our freedoms come from God. Congress codified 'In God We Trust' as our national motto for the express purpose of reaffirming America's unique history and understanding of this truth, and to distinguish America from atheistic nations which recognize no higher authority than the state."
This is not the first action the plaintiff has taken against the federal government. Earlier he sought to prove the pledge of allegiance is unconstitutional, arguing its reference to "one nation under God" forces school children to affirm God. The U. S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected this case in 2004 but on technical grounds. He filed another suit in 2005 with eight others arguing those words in the pledge violate the separation of church and state. A federal judge ruled in their favor, and that case is also on appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court.
IMPORTANT TO STAND UP
I believe it is important to stand firm against the determined efforts of those who seek to remove references to our Creator from the public square. Jay Seculow, chief counsel for the ACLJ, says every court that has considered challenges to the motto has rejected efforts to strike it down. I hope this case will have the same outcome and put this issue to rest.
http://www.house.gov/wicker/motto.htm