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San Francisco (AP) -- An atheist seeking to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. currency is taking his arguments back to a federal appeals court. Michael Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer, sued the Elk Grove Unified School District in 2000 for forcing public school children to recite the pledge, saying it was unconstitutional. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Newdow's favor in 2002, but two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Newdow lacked standing to sue because he didn't have custody of the daughter on whose behalf he...

Excerpt - In what police describe as a "probable" suicide leap, a prominent Monterey Bay Area attorney fell at least nine floors to his death at the Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay in Seaside the morning before Christmas. Shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, officers found the body of Aptos attorney Paul Sanford in the west end of the hotel lobby, where he had landed on a large ventilation grate. Police Capt. Steve Cercone said horrified guests were eating breakfast in the atrium at the time, and a number of witnesses saw Sanford fall from somewhere between the 9th and 12th...

I need some help from those of you in pajamas. My husband and I heard on the Roger Hedgecock show the other day that the well-known litigious atheist Michael Newdow has died. Neither of us can find anything on this in any main-stream media outlet and are starting to suspect either another suspicious lack of reporting, or that both of us suffered simultaneous auditory hallucinations. Has anyone encountered any information on this? We are also contacting the show to follow up, but have not yet received a response. This may not be big news, but down here in San Diego...

A federal judge on Monday rejected a lawsuit from an atheist who said the use of "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins violated his First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. said the minted words amounted to a secular national slogan that did not trample on Michael Newdow's religious views. "There is no proper allegation that the government compelled plaintiff to affirm a repugnant belief in monotheism," Damrell said in dismissing the suit. Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer, also lost an effort two years ago to have the Pledge of Allegiance banned from public schools...

May 18, 1908: Congress mandates use of "In God We Trust" http://www.historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=wallstreet&month=10272957&day=10272983 http://tinyurl.com/lxte6 In a move that seemingly flew in the face of America's founding belief in the separation of church and state, Congress passed legislation on this day in 1908 that made the maxim "In God We Trust" an obligatory element of certain coins. The motto dates back to the early 1860s, when the Civil War stirred religious feelings throughout the nation. America's heightened piety manifested itself in many places, including the treasury department, which received countless letters requesting that the nation's coins pay some form of tribute to...

Wednesday night on the 10pm news, following the video clip, pesky atheist Michael Newdow gave an in-studio statement dressed in colorful sashes and robes. (Maybe even a hat.) The anchorwoman said he was on the way to a meeting with "his organization." I can't find the video or a picture now. Can any Sacramento-area freeper find it? It could demonstrate how secularism is practiced religiously...

The ‘War on Christmas’ is a good fight, a war worth waging for America’s values. It isn’t just a failure of the left to recognize the values of mainstream Americans, but it is an attack on Christianity, a battle being waged in the courts of the nation, increasing in intensity the last fifty years. This liberal battle, fought in legal circles, terrorizes city and state governments, American businesses and the American people with fear of litigation. In their righteous indignation, liberals have likened themselves to terrorists, terrorizing Christianity at every turn. Now is the time for Americans to take back...

In God We Trust By William John Hagan Canada Free Press Wednesday, November 30, 2005 "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Do these words sound familiar to you? They are, of course, found in the Declaration of Independence and were used as a justification under Natural Law for the separation of the American Colonies from the Crown. In our modern age it is often forgotten that the United States was founded...

Conservative groups are rising to the defense of America's Christian heritage by fighting an atheist who wants to remove the motto "In God We Trust" from the nation's currency. Michael Newdow told the ACLU of Oklahoma that he would file a lawsuit against the national motto this week on the grounds that it is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and "excludes people who don't believe in God." An earlier lawsuit filed by Newdow seeks to remove the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, and in that case, the liberal Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Newdow....

Michael Newdow, who has already filed a suit to take "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance, is now suing to remove our national motto from our currency. Newdow told the ACLU of Oklahoma that the national motto on U.S. currency is a violation of the separation of church and state. He is offended because he is an atheist. He wants to use the Federal courts to make his atheism the official religion of America. Newdow filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which recently ruled that judges, not parents, have the final say in what will...

Court Ducks 'In God We Trust' Case (CBS) WASHINGTON Supreme Court on Monday sidestepped a dispute over the constitutionality of putting "In God We Trust" on government buildings. Earlier this year justices were splintered on the appropriateness of Ten Commandments displays in and near government buildings. The court did not comment in rejecting an appeal over an "In God We Trust" inscription on the Davidson County Government Center in Lexington, N.C. The inscription, in 18-inch block letters, was paid for with donations from individuals and churches in 2002. It is more prominent than the name of the building, according to...

Michael Newdow, perhaps America's best known atheist, has a new target in his personal war against God in the public culture: "In God We Trust" on U.S. money. "I am about to file to get 'In God We Trust' off the front of our currency," he told the Oklahoman. "I plan to do that this week."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An atheist who has spent years trying to ban recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is now challenging the national motto printed on U.S. currency. Michael Newdow said Sunday that he planned to file a federal lawsuit this week asking for the removal of the national motto, "In God We Trust," from U.S. coins and dollar bills. He claims it's an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and "excludes people who don't believe in God." Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer who is an avowed atheist, used a similar argument when he challenged the Pledge of...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. The atheist who's spent years trying to ban recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools says he'll file a new lawsuit this week. Michael Newdow says he'll ask a federal court to order removal of the national motto "In God We Trust" from U-S coins and currency. He says it violates the religious rights of atheists who belong to his "First Amendment Church of True Science." The church's "three suggestions" are "question, be honest and do what's right." Newdow says it wouldn't be right to take up a collection when the money says "In God We...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A federal judge on Wednesday set the stage for an atheist and three Sacramento-area school districts to take their dispute over the Pledge of Allegiance to an appeals court. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton said he will stay a ruling made last month, meaning the schools can continue having children recite the pledge. In his previous finding, Karlton said he was bound by a 2002 ruling of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools because it contains the words "under God." That lawsuit was...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A man who is fighting to get the words "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance was back in federal court Wednesday, making some surprising comments about the case. Although the hearing was a procedural matter with no key rulings, Michael Newdow said that if he is successful in having the words removed from the pledge at the U.S. Supreme Court level, it still wouldn't be enough. Newdow believes that it is time to get rid of the old Pledge of Allegiance altogether. He said that it's impractical to just change the pledge because children will...

Teachers, Parents, Students, Homeschoolers, Citizens-- This Wednesday 9/21 is See You At The Pole day, people all across the country are meeting at school flagpoles before school for prayer. A great way for teachers, parents and students to connect and encourage one another on campus....home schoolers, please also help defend and protect your rights on taxpayer-owned land by showing up! See You at the Pole is a student-initiated and student-led movement that started in the Ft. Worth suburb of Burleson, Texas, in 1990. Everything necessary for students to plan and promote a successful SYATP is available free at http://www.syatp.com. In...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The former lover of Pledge of Allegiance challenger Michael Newdow is again fighting to keep the words "under God" in the pledge. Sandra Banning and Newdow, an atheist, are the unmarried parents of the elementary school-aged daughter Newdow sued on behalf of three years ago when he challenged the pledge. A San Francisco federal appeals court in 2002 agreed that it was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion for public school children to recite the pledge because it includes the words "under God." After the court ruled, Banning challenged Newdow's standing to sue, saying he did not have...

Fresh and glowing from his recent victory of declaring "under God" a violation of "church and State," Michael Newdow has filed suit against all religious organizations who are volunteering time and materials in helping victims of the Katrina disaster. "These acts by volunteers comprise a concerted effort by religious groups to undermine the professional work of government employees, and may be considered as an in-kind political contribution to the religious-minded republican party. Churches should stop their so-called relief efforts immediately," commented Newdow. Noting that the efforts of religious groups directly competes with government agencies that are designed to provide aid...

Newdow: Pledge Forces God On Atheists NewsMax.com Wires Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005 An atheist seeking to strike the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools has won a major battle in his quest to force the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the issue again. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton sided with atheist Michael Newdow in ruling Wednesday that the pledge's reference to God violates the rights of children in three school districts to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God." Karlton said he was bound by precedent of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court...

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (search) in public schools was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton (search) ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

The opinion issued Sept. 14, 2005 may be accessed here.

Just heard on top of the hour on Fox News Radio

SAN FRANCISCO — Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (search) in public schools was ruled unconstitutional Wednesday by a federal judge who granted legal standing to two families represented by an atheist who lost his previous battle before the U.S. Supreme Court.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday it is unconstitutional for public school children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God." Karlton said he's bound by precedent set by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in 2002 that it was unconstitutional for the Pledge to be recited in public schools. The Supreme Court threw out that case, ruling that Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow had no standing...

Dr. Michael Newdow is at it again. The California physician and atheist whose first successful challenge against the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance was vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court, has filed a new lawsuit to achieve the same end. He called the high court's intervention a "vile abrogation of my civil rights." Continuing his eight-year battle, Dr. Newdow argues that, "No one should be made to feel like an outsider because of their religious beliefs." He may not realize it, but that's an argument those with religious beliefs would salute. Atheists don't profess religious beliefs. He...

To avoid "potential harm" to eight people who have joined avowed atheist Michael Newdow in a quest to strike "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, a federal judge agreed Tuesday to allow them to remain anonymous during what is sure to be a closely-watched legal fight over highly-charged issue. Newdow, who filed the lawsuit using pseudonyms for all the plaintiffs except himself, proposed in a motion to keep anonymous the names of the parents and students in Sacramento County and San Joaquin County school districts. Attorneys for the defendants - Congress, the federal government, California, and five school districts...

In God We Trust Patriotic Flash Movie Finished and posted just in time for Washington's Birthday! (BTW, it's hard to swallow polls that find Washington ranked as America's 7th greatest president.) The presentation features quotes from Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Henry, Lincoln, Reagan, and more on the subject of God and morality in government. Many of these quotes were taken from their own speeches to the American people as elected officials (sorry ye Newdows and ACLUers of the world)! Enjoy and spread freely! I created two versions--one for high bandwidth (T1, DSL, Cable), and another for those trapped in dialupland....

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The federal appeals court that ruled the Pledge of Allegiance was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion is being sued for allegedly displaying the Ten Commandments on its seal and courthouses. The case was brought by Pleasanton attorney Ryan Donlon, who was admitted to practice before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in June. In his lawsuit against the San Francisco-based court, he said the certificate admitting him contains the court's seal which unlawfully contains what he believes is a tablet object that "represents the Judeo-Christian Decalogue commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments." Cathy Catterson,...

“…so help me God.” Such are the final words of the Oath of Office as recited by second term president George W. Bush on Inauguration Day 2005. They concluded the oath that saw the president reaffirm the duties he faithfully executed during his first term in office and that he swore to perform again in his second. To President Bush these words mean something. They are the ultimate expression of his commitment to fulfill the promise that he has made to the American people, himself and, so help him, to his God. Most people, whether religious or not, recognize that...

I have seen (received) complaints here because we talk at each other but don't do anything. Well, here's your chance everybody. Mr. Newdow states his case and INVITES COMMENTS. Be respectful, informed and literate....Let's keep the high ground, Just because he is a horse's rear doesn't mean we have to tell him so.

WASHINGTON - The atheist who tried to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to bar the saying of a prayer at President Bush's inauguration. In an emergency filing, Michael Newdow argued that a prayer at Thursday's ceremony would violate the Constitution by forcing him to accept unwanted religious beliefs. His request has been rejected by two lower courts. Newdow also asked that Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who is designated as the justice to hear emergency appeals for the D.C. Circuit, recuse himself because he is scheduled to swear in Bush and...

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2005--The American Center for Law and Justice, specializing in constitutional law, said today it is pleased that a federal appeals court has rejected a request by Michael Newdow to prohibit prayer at this Thursday's Presidential inauguration. A federal district court on Friday rejected Newdow's request for an injunction to stop the clergy prayers and late Sunday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected his appeal. Newdow is now expected to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and stop the prayers. "We're delighted to see the courts continue to uphold a...

Pledge Dad sues to ban ministers at oath Published 1/14/2005 2:07 PM WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Atheist Michael Newdow wants a U.S. district judge to ban prayers by clergy at the president's inauguration ceremony, the Washington Post said Friday. Newdow, a California doctor and lawyer who sued to have the words "under God" stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance in 2003, told the court that prayers offered by two Protestant ministers during the Jan. 20 ceremony when the president takes his oath of office would violate his constitutional rights. "This is like the Super Bowl, the Olympics. It's a...

Judge rejects Michael Newdow's challenge to invocation prayer at presidential inauguration

The idiot Mike Newdow that tried to get Bush not to use a bible to get sworn in, or use a prayer during is inauguration has been thrown out, as Fox news reports. Basically, the justices said that Bush would not be able to control his own inauguration and its not up to censor his speech. They also said (which i love) - if you don’t want to hear it - don’t watch it.

Atheist Challenges Inaugural Prayers By Carol D. Leonnig Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 14, 2005; Page B01 A California atheist asked a federal judge yesterday to stop President Bush from having two Protestant ministers say prayers at the inauguration, arguing that it would violate his constitutional rights to the separation of church and state. Michael Newdow, a lawyer and doctor who has fought to keep his daughter from being exposed to the Pledge of Allegiance in her public school, said the inauguration is perhaps the most public of all government-sponsored national ceremonies. It should not provide the president with...

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge heard arguments Thursday in the case of an atheist who wants to prevent a Christian minister from reciting a prayer at President Bush's inauguration. Michael Newdow -- best known for trying to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance -- told U.S. District Judge John Bates that allowing an overtly Christian prayer at the Jan. 20 ceremony violates the Constitution by forcing him to accept unwanted religious beliefs. Attorneys representing Bush and his inaugural committee argued that prayers have been widely accepted at inaugurals for more than 200 years and that Bush's decision to...

This afternoon at 3:30 at the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, oral arguments will take place in the Inauguration Prayer case. Dr. Michael Newdow has brought a challenge against President Bush in order to stop ministers from giving an invocation and benediction at the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony which will take place on Thursday, January 20th. All briefs in the case were filed on Friday. Senior Counsel Jim Henderson from our Washington, DC office will be in court on Thursday, and we will have frequent updates on our website starting this evening. We anticipate a very quick decision in the...

Add your name to the group of 9,996 people who have already signed using the Internet! The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Newdow is threatening to rob this nation of one of the most critical traditions of Presidential Inauguration ... prayer. Please read the petition carefully and declare your membership with the ACLJ by filling out the form and demanding our Senators stand firm in our historical heritage and allow the expression of prayer during this important event for America. Petition to Preserve the Inaugural Prayer Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid All members of the United...

(Washington, DC) – The American Center for Law and Justice, specializing in constitutional law, is opposing a legal challenge brought by California atheist Michael Newdow challenging the constitutionality of prayer at the Presidential inauguration. The ACLJ has filed an amicus brief in support of the Department of Justice’s position defending the constitutionality of inaugural prayer. “This challenge is legally flawed and represents nothing more than an attempt to remove a time-honored tradition going back to the nation’s first President,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, which has challenged Newdow’s lawsuits in the past. “The expression of prayer at...

A California atheist's lawsuit to prevent Christian clergy from praying in the presidential inauguration should be dismissed because it is a recycled case about an issue that does not violate the U.S. Constitution, attorneys for President Bush said.     "There is no reason to 'reverse course' and abandon a widely accepted, noncontroversial aspect of the inaugural ceremony after over 200 years of this proper solemnization of a national event," the president's attorneys said in a 65-page response to the suit. Assistant Attorney General Peter D. Keisler, who filed the response Friday, wrote that atheist Michael Newdow, a Sacramento, Calif., doctor...

WASHINGTON — The government is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit from an atheist who wants to bar the saying of a prayer at President George W. Bush's inauguration , calling the practice widely accepted and more than 200 years old, according to a court filing released Monday. Michael Newdow , best known for trying to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, filed suit last month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He said the use of a prayer is unconstitutional. Newdow said that two ministers delivered Christian invocations at Bush's first...

<p>California atheist Michael Newdow said yesterday that his legal attack on "Christian religious acts" in this year's presidential inauguration specifically targets only those performed by clergymen.</p> <p>"I have never sued to have anyone keep his or her hand off of a Bible," Mr. Newdow said in response to yesterday's story published in The Washington Times regarding his lawsuit. "As my prayer for relief and judgment specifies, I sought only the prohibition of using clergymen to further religion."</p>

The California lawyer who tried to have the phrase "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance now wants to legally prevent President Bush from placing his hand on a Bible while being sworn in at his inauguration. Michael Newdow, an atheist doctor and lawyer from Sacramento, has filed a complaint and a motion for preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking to remove prayer and all "Christian religious acts" from the Jan. 20 inauguration. Mr. Newdow, 50, asserts that the presence of Christian ministers who pray publicly at the inauguration, Christian songs and the...

The five local school districts being sued by a Sacramento atheist say they will defend the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, but they say it will take time and resources away from the educational process. Administrators for the school districts in Rio Linda, Elverta, Elk Grove and Stockton say they have insurance that will cover the costs of defending against the lawsuit filed by Michael Newdow, but they believe their premiums will go up. When that happens, they say money will be diverted from classrooms. On Tuesday Newdow (shown above) filed a lawsuit to get the schools to stop...

Atheist activist Michael Newdow, known for his attempt to remove "under God" from the Pledge, has petitioned a federal court to prevent the Bush administration from "engaging in Christian religious acts" related to the president's upcoming inauguration. Pointing out that two ministers, Rev. Franklin Graham and the Rev.Kirbyjon Caldwell, prayed at Bush's first inaugural ceremony in 2001, Newdow says the Inaugural '05 website indicates the president will chose a minister to "deliver an invocation" before he takes the oath of office Jan. 20. Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition says it's "appalling that Christians are being...

SAN FRANCISCO - An atheist who sued because he did not want his young daughter exposed to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has filed a suit to bar the saying of a prayer at President Bush (news - web sites)'s inauguration. Michael Newdow notes that two ministers delivered Christian invocations at Bush's first inaugural ceremony in 2001, and that plans call for a minister to do the same before Bush takes the oath of office Jan. 20. In a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Newdow says the use of a prayer...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An atheist who sued because he did not want his young daughter exposed to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has filed a suit to bar the saying of a prayer at President Bush's inauguration. Michael Newdow notes that two ministers delivered Christian invocations at Bush's first inaugural ceremony in 2001, and that plans call for a minister to do the same before Bush takes the oath of office Jan. 20. In a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Newdow says the use of a prayer is unconstitutional. The...

An atheist who sued because he did not want his young daughter exposed to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has filed another lawsuit -- this time with other parents. Michael Newdow won his case more than two years ago before a federal appeals court, which said it was an unconstitutional blending of church and state for public school students to pledge to God. In June, however, the Supreme Court dismissed the case, saying Newdow could not lawfully sue because he did not have custody of his elementary school-aged daughter and because the girl's mother objected to...