Injunction Issued, Appeal Filed In Pledge Case

As reported in a previous posting, in September a federal district court in California held that that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public school classrooms violates the Establishment Clause because of the phrase "under God" in the text. That decision was not accompanied by the issuance of an injunction. On November 18, the court entered a permanent injunction in the case of Newdow v. Congress of the United States in order to implement its earlier decision. The injunction was stayed, however, until the issue is fully resolved through the appeals process. On Nov. 21, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty announced that it had begun that process by filing a Notice of Appeal with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.