The Pledge of Allegiance, with its inclusion of the words \u201cunder God,\u201d\u009d is constitutional, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday (March 11), reversing a previous ruling.<\/p>\n
The 2-1 ruling answers a challenge by California atheist Michael Newdow, who argued that the use of the pledge in a Northern California school district\u201d\u201dwhere children of atheists had to listen to others recite it\u201d\u201dviolated the First Amendment\u2019s clause prohibiting the establishment of religion.<\/p>\n
The \u201cstudents are being coerced to participate in a patriotic exercise, not a religious exercise,\u201d\u009d the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. \u201cThe Pledge is not a prayer and its recitation is not a religious exercise.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n