Showing posts with label Naturalization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naturalization. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 07, 2020

1st Circuit OKs "So Help Me God" In Naturalization Oath

In Perrier-Bilbo v. United States, (1st Cir., April 3, 2020), the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejected constitutional challenges to the inclusion of "so help me God" at the end of the oath of allegiance administered at naturalization ceremonies. Plaintiff, a French citizen, was offered the options of just not repeating those words during the ceremony or of having a private ceremony where the oath would be administered without that phrase. She rejected these as inadequate.

The court denied plaintiff's Establishment Clause challenge, applying the test used by the Supreme Court in American Legion v. American Humanist Association, saying in part:
We follow the Supreme Court's most recent framework and apply American Legion's presumption of constitutionality to the phrase "so help me God" in the naturalization oath because we consider the inclusion of similar words to be a ceremonial, longstanding practice as an optional means of completing an oath. And because the record does not demonstrate a discriminatory intent in maintaining those words in the oath or "deliberate disrespect" by the inclusion of the words, Perrier-Bilbo cannot overcome the presumption.
Rejecting Plaintiff's Free Exercise claim, the court said in part:
We do not second-guess the sincerity of Perrier-Bilbo's beliefs or her feeling of distress upon hearing the phrase at issue. But even if the phrase offends her, offense "does not equate to coercion," Town of Greece, 572 U.S. at 589, and the Free Exercise Clause does not entitle her to a change in the oath's language as it pertains to others....
The court rejected Plaintiff's argument under RFRA, saying in part:
While she might find the options offered by the Government subjectively burdensome, however, the district court was right to conclude that not every imposition or inconvenience rises to the level of a "substantial burden."
The court also rejected equal protection and due process challenges.  Judge Barron filed a concurring opinion. Free Thinker blog discussed the decision.

Sunday, November 05, 2017

Citizenship Applicant Challenges "So Help Me God" In Naturalization Oath

Represented by activist Michael Newdow, a French citizen who is a permanent U.S. resident living in Massachusetts filed suit last week challenging the inclusion of the phrase "so held me God" in the Naturalization Oath. The complaint (full text) in Perrier-Bilbo v. Congress of the United States, (D MA, filed 11/2/2017), contends that the presence of these words in the oath violates the Establishment Clause, free exercise clause, RFRA, as well as plaitiff's due process and equal protection rights.  The citizenship application by Plaintiff, who is an atheist, was approved in 2009.  When she objected to the form of the oath at that time, was told that she could either participate in the oath ceremony and omit the “so help me God” language, or schedule a private oath ceremony where the government would not use that phrase. Neither of those alternatives are acceptable to her.  Her complaint contends in part:
By its very nature, an oath that concludes “so help me God” is asserting that God exists..... Moreover, even if the current oath were constitutional, the government of the United States has rendered Plaintiff, on the basis of her sincerely held religious beliefs, unable to take the oath that all others take. This is unfair, demeaning and improper. Plaintiff is unwilling to start her new life as an American citizen in some second-class status solely because she chooses to follow her religious precepts. Under the principles of equal protection, she demands the right to experience the elation, the pride, the sense of camaraderie, and the sense of belonging, which comes from joining her fellow new citizens as an equal participant in the naturalization oath ceremony.
Sacramento Bee reports on the lawsuit.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

8th Circuit Upholds Denial of Citizenship To Muslim In U.S. On Religious Worker's Visa

In Al-Saadoon v. Lynch, (8th Cir., March 14, 2016), the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the denial of the naturalization application filed by an Islamic scholar and his wife who entered the U.S. from Iraq on a religious worker's visa.  Initially the USCIS denied the application on the ground that applicants were not of good moral character.  The district court affirmed on the ground that information on applicants' naturalization application showed that the husband changed religious employers a few months before getting the required INS pre-approval for the change.  The 8th Circuit held that the district court's findings are supported by substantial evidence.  In an interesting footnote, the 8th Circuit said:
The district court stated an alternative basis for its denial of Hamod's petition for naturalization. It concluded that "even if some of Hamod's religious worker services to the ICCC starting in 2000 were voluntary and not paid . . . , those services constitute unauthorized employment." Hamod argues that this conclusion violates his right to freely exercise his religion. In particular, he argues that ... the district court's decision regarding voluntary services punishes him for exercising his religion through volunteer work in his local community of faith. We decline to address Hamod's free-exercise claim, however, because the record clearly supports the district court's primary basis for the petition's denial—Hamod was actually employed by the ICCC before he received the authorization required by his visa.