Michael Newdow is at it again. The self-appointed spokesman for America’s atheists has once more appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to order the removal of the phrase “In God We Trust” from the nation’s currency.
On January 11, Newdow filed a brief with the High Court arguing that use of the phrase, which the nation has claimed as its official motto since 1957, violates the Constitution’s supposedly required separation of church and state. “Devout atheists are forced to choose between not using what is often the only available legal tender and committing what they consider blasphemy,” declared Newdow in an apparently unintentional confession of his own religious persuasion.
The case is the latest in a flurry of attacks against America’s religious roots mounted over the years by Newdow, who is also challenging the phrase, “So help me God,” that is an integral element of the oath taken by the president and other federal officials.
Throughout his campaign Newdow has acknowledged the futility of his efforts, most recently writing in an e-mail, according to the Kansas City Star, “I think it is a sheer cliff with any court comprised of justices who are not atheists themselves. I think they would rather avoid the political fallout than do what they are paid to do and uphold the rights of this disenfranchised minority; i.e., atheists.”
Back in 2004, Nedow attempted have the Supreme Court rule on his challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance being recited in his daughter’s school, but the Court determined that Newdow’s case lacked legal merit. In his latest effort, Newdow wants the High Court to overturn a decision by the infamous Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in 2010 that including “In God We Trust” on currency does not violate the First Amendment.
“Even the most liberal court in America, the 9th Circuit, agreed with us that the national motto is clearly constitutional,” said Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute, which has helped defend the motto against Newdow’s assaults. “We are confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will do the right thing and end this frivolous lawsuit.”
In 1955, U.S. Representative Charles Bennett (D-Fla.), the congressman who authored the law making “In God We Trust” the national motto, said the phrase would serve as a reminder of America’s roots of faith in God. “Nothing can be more certain than that our country was founded in a spiritual atmosphere and with a firm trust in God,” Bennett declared in a speech on the House Floor. “While the sentiment of trust in God is universal and timeless, these particular four words ‘In God We Trust’ are indigenous to our country.”
Speaking during the early days of the Cold War, Bennett proclaimed that “when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom, we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom.”
Bennett — along with an overwhelming majority of congressmen and senators, President Eisenhower, and the people of the United States — believed that the motto “In God We Trust,” imprinted on America’s currency, would “serve as a constant reminder” of the extent to which the nation’s political and economic success was tied to faith in the Almighty.
