Entrance to new underground visitors center in Washington, D.C. |
A court decision in Wisconsin has turned back an attack on the inclusion of the national motto "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, a $600 million-plus facility that highlights the heritage of the United States.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge William M. Conley dismissed "for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction" a complaint brought against Stephen Ayers, the acting Architect of the Capitol, over the words engraved in the center's walls.
The complaint was been filed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.
"None of the FFRF's members have taxpayer standing on their own, including the individual plaintiffs, with respect to the claim sought," wrote the judge. "Thus, to be adjudicated neither does FFRF. Accordingly, plaintiff's complaint will be dismissed without prejudice for lack of standing."
"We're extremely pleased that the federal district court reached the very conclusion that we advocated – the plaintiffs lack legal standing and this flawed lawsuit should be dismissed," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in defense of the government.
"This challenge was another misguided attempt to alter history and purge America of religious references. The national motto and the Pledge of Allegiance displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center merely echo the sentiments found in the Declaration of Independence," he said. "In our view, Congress acted appropriately by including these expressions in the center – expressions that are consistent with the Constitution."
The ACLJ had represented 50 members of Congress, asserting the lawsuit was "frivolous" and a "waste" of judicial resources.
National Motto at new visitors center in Washington, D.C |
WND reported on the structure when it first was opened and contained no reference to the Pledge of Allegiance or "In God We Trust."
With acres of marble floors and walls, photographs of Earth Day, information about an AIDS rally and details about industry, the expansive facility – which is nearly three-quarters the size of the Capitol itself – contained exhibition galleries, theaters, a 550-seat cafeteria, gift shops and many other features but did not originally have plans to include America's Christian heritage.
U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., however, spearheaded an effort that eventually involved dozens of members of Congress to pressure the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee to make changes.
"When I along with several other members of the Prayer Caucus first toured the newly constructed Capitol Visitor Center," Forbes said in a statement about the original problem, "we were troubled to learn that the center was stripped of all references to America's religious heritage and it contained a number of factual inaccuracies, including incorrectly stating that our national motto was 'E Pluribus Unum' and inaccurately representing Capitol church services."
Among those raising questions was longtime martial arts champion, actor and now WND columnist Chuck Norris. In a column at the time he cited other examples of censorship of faith, including the fact that the opening words in Article 3 in the Northwest Ordinance were excluded from an exhibit. Those words are: "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
Instead, the exhibit read, "Schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
After more than a year of fighting to restore references to the nation's spiritual history in the center, Forbes, Norris and their like-minded Americans prevailed, and the engraving of the national motto "In God We Trust" was unveiled.
The engraving prompted the FFRF complaint in the Wisconsin Court. The atheist and agnostic organization took on Ayers, claiming the use of the words violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
In response, the ACLJ argued, "The fact is that Congress acted appropriately and consistent with the Constitution with the inclusion of the national motto and the Pledge of Allegiance in the Capitol Visitor Center."
Its brief argued, "While the First Amendment affords atheists complete freedom to disbelieve, it does not compel the federal judiciary to redact religious references in every area of public life in order to suit atheistic sensibilities."