US court throws out bid to ban ‘In God We Trust’ from bills
Chicago appeals panel rules that phrase on currency does not amount to religious endorsement, does not violate Constitution
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CHICAGO — A federal court has ruled that printing “In God We Trust” on US currency does not amount to a religious endorsement and therefore does not violate the US Constitution.
The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports that the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago made the ruling Thursday in a lawsuit brought by a self-declared Satanist, Kenneth Mayle. He argued that the motto propagates a religious view he opposes.
A lower court tossed the suit citing a Supreme Court decision that a motto on currency is not something people display prominently and thus that people are not forced to publicly advertise views that clash with their own.
Mayle appealed to restore the suit, but the 7th Circuit refused, describing the phrase as a “historical reminder” of the nation’s heritage.
The Times of Israel Community.