The Ellis County Press: Federal Judge Upholds Texas Pledge Containing Phrase Under God

Federal Judge Upholds Texas Pledge Containing Phrase Under God
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Editor on 03/27/2009 16:25:00


DALLAS - A Dallas federal judge today ruled that the phrase "under God" in the
Texas Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional. The court's decision rejected a
lawsuit filed by a Dallas couple, who unsuccessfully argued that the state
pledge violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.
"Today's ruling protects young Texans' right to pledge their allegiance to
‘one state, under God' - just as they pledge to ‘one nation, under God,'"
Attorney General Abbott said. "The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly
held that patriotic acknowledgments of the Almighty are constitutional. Texans
can rest assured that we will continue defending their children's ability to
recite the state Pledge of Allegiance each morning."
MEDIA LINKS
U.S. District Court opinion in Texas Pledge case
The words "under God" were added to the Texas Pledge of Allegiance in 2007. That
year, the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit challenging the phrase's constitutionality
and sought an injunction banning its use.
Voluntary, teacher-led recitations of the Texas Pledge typically follow the U.S.
Pledge of Allegiance in public school classrooms across the state.
The state successfully argued that the Texas Pledge acknowledges patriotism and
citizenship. It is a practice that mirrors the Declaration of Independence's
self-evident truths that citizens are "endowed by their creator with certain
inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness." The Attorney General argued that the Pledge reflects the
constitutionally protected freedom of religion.
The Texas pledge, amended in 2007, reads: "Honor the Texas flag; I pledge
allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."