House Backs Religious Ohio Motto

Dateline: 06/28/00

The U.S. House yesterday approved by a vote of 333-27 a resolution urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision and rule the Ohio state motto -- "With God All Things Are Possible" -- to be constitutional.

Speaking in favor of the resolution, Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) asked if the Court of Appeals would have found the motto -- "In the Devil, All Things are Fun" -- to be acceptable.

Other speakers noted that the Declaration of Independence and the constitutions or preambles of 45 States make explicit reference to a divine power, and that United States coins have borne the motto "In God We Trust," since 1864.

The motto, adopted in 1959, was challenged by Ordained Presbyterian minister Matthew Peterson and the ACLU as paraphrasing a quote attributed to Jesus Christ. 

On April 25, 2000, a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision that the motto violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment -- "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," -- typically referred to as requiring the separation of church and state.

Today's House vote supporting the constitutionality of a reference to God in a government role comes hard on the heals of the Supreme Court's June 19 ruling that public school districts may not allow students to lead pre-game prayers at high school football games. (See: Supreme Court -- No Football Prayers by your About Guide)

Reference Links

Text of the Resolution in Support of the Ohio Motto
Expressing the sense of the House that Supreme Court should find the Ohio state motto -- "In God, All Things Are Possible," to be constitutional.

Ohio State Motto Ruled Unconstitutional
Current Events Law Guide Paul S. Reed explains why the Ohio motto was ruled unconstitutional.

ACLU Ohio v. Capital Square Review - Sixth Circuit
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling declaring Ohio's state motto, 'With God, All Things Are Possible,' unconstitutional. Provided by Law Guide Paul S. Reed.

Separating Church and State
A look at current and past legislation and laws involving school prayer and the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools. From your About Guide. 

Church and State: How the Court Decides
The Court applies these three "tests" to religious practices when deciding their constitutionality under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. From your About Guide.

Justices Restrict Religious Freedom
Does the Constitution explicitly mandate separation of church and state? The original meaning of the Establishment Clause has been debated furiously in recent generations due to judicial activism that spawned the freedom-from-religion movement. A great in-depth analysis by Conservative Politics Guide Ted Gausmann.

  School prayer case: Cutting to the chase; anticipating the inevitable
The U.S. Supreme Court gives short shrift to the efforts of a public school district trying to find a way to establish a prayer ceremony at school football games. Analysis by Law Guide Paul S. Reed.

Like a Prayer  
Injecting itself into the eternally tangled debate over the separation of church and state, the Supreme Court has ruled that one public high school district's use of "invocations" or "benedictions" before football games is unconstitutional. From US News Guide Clare Saliba. 

U.S. House: Church and State Not So Separate
A new juvenile crime bill passed by the House has included amendments encouraging religious displays in public schools, from Paul S. Reed your About Guide to Law.

Church and State Resources
Links to resources devoted to the study and preservation of the "Establishment Clause" form Liberal Views Guide Karen O'Brien.

Church and State Collide in Public Schools
Multi-part look at religious freedom and public schools, from Tammy Todd your About Guide to Alternative Religions.

The Supreme Court Needs Your Help Polls
About Crime Guide Bill Bickel has assembled this great set of instant opinion polls on this and other Supreme Court Opinions.

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RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Ohio State motto is constitutional and urging the courts to uphold its constitutionality.

Whereas the official motto of the State of Ohio--`With God All Things Are Possible'--has been the State motto for 41 years, since October 1, 1959;

Whereas the motto is a powerful expression of hope and humility for all the people of Ohio;

Whereas the motto does not establish, promote, endorse, advance, or discriminate against any specific set of religious beliefs;

Whereas the motto is consistent with the American tradition of seeking spiritual guidance in matters of public affairs;

Whereas faith in God was a founding principle of the Nation and the State of Ohio;

Whereas the motto helps promote positive values and citizenship in the youth of Ohio;

Whereas several States or territories and the United States have mottoes or seals making explicit reference to God or Providence;

Whereas the Declaration of Independence and the constitutions or preambles of 45 States make explicit reference to a divine power;

Whereas since 1864, United States coins have borne the motto `In God We Trust', which Congress made mandatory on all gold and silver coins in 1908 (35 Stat. 164, Chap. 173) and on all United States coins and currency in 1955 (69 Stat. 290, Chap. 303);

Whereas in 1956, Congress declared the national motto of the United States to be `In God we trust' (70 Stat. 732, Chap. 795); and

Whereas Members of Congress take an oath to uphold the Constitution and vigilantly do so in the performance of their legislative duties: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That--

(1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--

(A) the Ohio State motto and other long-standing mottoes which make reference to God or Providence do so as long-accepted expressions consistent with American tradition and rooted in the sentiments of the American people;

(B) such mottoes are `those references to God that we accept in ceremonial phrases or in other contexts that assure neutrality', Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 717 (1984) (Brennan, J., dissenting), and State and Federal courts should uphold them as such; and

(C) the decision of a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit striking down the Ohio State motto is a misinterpretation and misapplication of the United States Constitution; and

(2) the House of Representatives--

(A) finds repugnant all misinterpretations and misapplications of the Constitution by Federal courts which disregard those references to God which are well within the American tradition and within the Constitution;

(B) supports the decision of the Governor and the Attorney General of the State of Ohio to appeal the ruling; and

(C) affirms its support for the Ohio State motto and other State mottoes making reference to a divine power.

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