A bill introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives today would prevent federal courts from accepting challenges to the Pledge of Allegiance, specifically the phrase "under God."
Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., said the latest version of his Pledge Protection Act -- now called the Pledge of Allegiance Act -- grew out of Americans' outrage in 2002 after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared the Pledge unconstitutional because of the words "under God."
"The congressman feels that type of treatment is really a censorship of the rights of those who wish to express certain basic principles that this country was founded upon," said Steve Taylor, Akin's press secretary.
Atheist Michael Newdow sued the Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento County, Calif., claiming a policy requiring students to recite the Pledge violated his daughter's religious liberty.
The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2004, which ruled 8-0 to dismiss the case on technical grounds.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, noted the high court never ruled on "under God," so Akin's legislation is desperately needed.
"We need the Pledge of Allegiance Act," he said, "in order to prevent out-of-control courts just like the 9th Circuit from deciding that the wording of the Pledge should be revised to meet some politically correct notion the justices have about 'under God.' "
And politically correct notions abound inside and outside courtrooms. Just this month, an Arizona charter school, Tucson Accelerated High School, banned the Pledge.
On Jan. 17, students were told the Pledge would no longer be recited, according to Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Jeremy Tedesco, who represents two students who challenged the ban.
"The school allowed the student council to vote on whether to continue or discontinue the recitation of the Pledge-- and the student council decided to cease reciting the Pledge at the beginning of every day," Tedesco said.
Students Sam and Robert Lucero, who lost a family member in Iraq and have two siblings fighting there now, brought a U.S. flag to school and began reciting the Pledge, but were told by school officials to stop.
"The good news is that the school did the right thing, and righted the ship, so to speak, once they understood the law," Tedesco said.
Calls to the school were not returned.
Akin's bill passed the House in the last Congress, but failed in the Senate.
"It did very well in the House," Akin's spokesman said. "There was strong bipartisan support, and if it's given a chance in the House again, it will pass."
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said the new Democratic leadership needs to remember that when the Newdow ruling came down, lawmakers gathered on the Capitol steps to recite the Pledge to encourage children, teachers and Americans.
"Now they need to do more than that," she said. "They need to preserve and protect the Pledge. Children deserve the same freedom to acknowledge God when saying the Pledge that the congressmen enjoyed."
(Paid for by Focus on the Family Action)
