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National motto survives atheist's federal court attack
[OneNewsNow] A lawsuit claiming that the national motto of the United States is unconstitutional ‐ filed by the notorious atheist Michael Newdow ‐ was dismissed by an Ohio federal court last week.Representing atheists nationwide, Newdow contended that the Americans’ free speech and free exercise clause rights are violated solely because they appear on U.S. currency. Handling cash offensive? It was argued that the mere existence of the national motto on a dollar bill forces religious beliefs upon the user. Ever heard of a credit card, Derp? "Plaintiffs asserted that carrying currency equated to governmental compulsion to speak in support of the National Motto and to bear a ’religiously offensive’ message, in violation of the Free Exercise Clause and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act," the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) reported. However, Newdow’s claim met stiff competition, as ACLJ attorneys filed an amicus brief on behalf of 50 members of Congress and the Committee to Protect the National Motto ‐ consisting of more than 120,000 ACLJ members ‐ calling for the court to dismiss Newdow’s problematic lawsuit. "While the First Amendment affords atheists complete freedom to disbelieve, it does not compel the federal judiciary to redact the national motto from the Nation’s currency," ACLJ’s brief reads. "Plaintiffs’ quarrel is essentially with a foundational principle of America, [and] the national motto simply echoes the principle found in the Declaration of Independence that our freedoms come from God and not the state." Also contended In the brief is the fact that neither the free speech rights ‐ nor the free exercise rights of atheists ‐ are violated by just looking at the National Motto on American currency. "Placing the National Motto on currency does not force atheists to do anything," ACLJ attorneys explain. "The National Motto is the government’s message and no one would attribute that message to atheists or to any other person who happens to carry money." Continued... Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy 2016-12-06 |
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