Is the Pledge of Allegiance No Longer 'under God'?
The Pledge of Allegiance wasn't officially recognized by the federal government until 1942, and the phrase "under God" not inserted until 1954 by an act of Congress. But today, two federal appeals court judges ruled that "under God" must be removed from the oath, which is recited daily in many public schools, because it violates the "establishment clause" that separates church and state. Located in San Francisco, the 9th Circuit is the nation's most liberal appellate court and the most overruled by the US Supreme Court. Will school districts in nine states have to remove "under God" from the Pledge before classes begin tomorrow? What about God Bless America and In God We Trust? We get reaction to today's ruling from lawyers, religious leaders, the head of the Los Angeles School Board and others.