Atheists not required to recite Pledge seek to stop it anyway
Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney available for media interviews following oral arguments at Mass. high court
Tuesday, Sep 3, 2013
Attorney sound bite: Andrew Beckwith | Jeremy Tedesco
WHO: Andrew Beckwith, Alliance Defending Freedom allied attorney and executive vice president of Massachusetts Family Institute
WHAT: Available for media interviews following oral arguments in Doe v. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 4, immediately following hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. EDT
WHERE: The steps of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, One Pemberton Square, Boston
BOSTON — Massachusetts Family Institute Executive Vice President Andrew Beckwith, one of nearly 2,300 allied attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom, will be available for media interviews Wednesday on the steps of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court following oral arguments in a lawsuit involving the Pledge of Allegiance.
Atheist parents and students are seeking to stop recitation of the Pledge in public schools--even though no student is required to recite it--because the atheist students claim to be “offended” by simply hearing the words “under God.” Alliance Defending Freedom and Massachusetts Family Institute filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief in the case, and the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District expressly incorporated most of the brief’s arguments into its defense of the law that makes the Pledge part of public school practice within the commonwealth.
“The Pledge of Allegiance shouldn’t be banned merely because someone who is not even required to recite it feels offended,” said Beckwith. “The Pledge unites Americans. The court should uphold the lower court’s ruling and refuse to divide Americans by silencing a voluntary exercise of patriotism just because a few people don’t like it.”
“Simply being offended by something does not make it a violation of the Massachusetts Constitution,” explained Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “As the lower court found, the recitation is completely voluntary, and listening to the words ‘under God’ does not violate anyone’s constitutional freedoms.”
The lower court ruled in favor of the school district and concluded that the phrase “under God” in the Pledge serves as a clear “acknowledgment of the Founding Fathers political philosophy, and the historical and religious traditions of the United States.” The atheist parents and students then appealed the decision.
BOSTON — Massachusetts Family Institute Executive Vice President Andrew Beckwith, one of nearly 2,300 allied attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom, will be available for media interviews Wednesday on the steps of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court following oral arguments in a lawsuit involving the Pledge of Allegiance.
Atheist parents and students are seeking to stop recitation of the Pledge in public schools--even though no student is required to recite it--because the atheist students claim to be “offended” by simply hearing the words “under God.” Alliance Defending Freedom and Massachusetts Family Institute filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief in the case, and the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District expressly incorporated most of the brief’s arguments into its defense of the law that makes the Pledge part of public school practice within the commonwealth.
“The Pledge of Allegiance shouldn’t be banned merely because someone who is not even required to recite it feels offended,” said Beckwith. “The Pledge unites Americans. The court should uphold the lower court’s ruling and refuse to divide Americans by silencing a voluntary exercise of patriotism just because a few people don’t like it.”
“Simply being offended by something does not make it a violation of the Massachusetts Constitution,” explained Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “As the lower court found, the recitation is completely voluntary, and listening to the words ‘under God’ does not violate anyone’s constitutional freedoms.”
The lower court ruled in favor of the school district and concluded that the phrase “under God” in the Pledge serves as a clear “acknowledgment of the Founding Fathers political philosophy, and the historical and religious traditions of the United States.” The atheist parents and students then appealed the decision.
- Fact sheet: Doe v. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court docket page: Doe v. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
- Pronunciation guide: Tedesco (Tuh-DESS’-koh)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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