Pledge Decision Condemned By Officials; Appeal Planned

Official reactions were quick to come to Wednesday's federal district court decision from California finding that school classroom recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance containing the phrase "under God" violates the Establishment Clause. (See prior posting.)

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales issued the following statement:

For more than two hundred years, many of our expressions of national identity and patriotism have referenced God. The Supreme Court, which opens each session by saying "God save the United States and this honorable Court," has affirmed time and again that such official acknowledgments of our Nation's religious heritage, foundation, and character are constitutional. The Department of Justice will continue vigorously to defend the ability of American schoolchildren to pledge allegiance to the flag.

Also, late Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to condemn the court ruling (S. Res. 243), according to a report by the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the Knights of Columbus, one of the defendants in the case, announced that it planned an immediate appeal.