A senior high school student from New Jersey has won a against the case that challenged her right to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in its entirety and sought to strike the phrase "one nation under God" from the Pledge.
According to FOX News, a New Jersey state judge has ruled against the American Humanist Association and declined to remove the phrase from the Pledge as the Association sought.
The American Humanist Association filed the case before Judge David Bauman in February 2014 on behalf of an unnamed family from Monmouth County, citing discrimination by the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District and violations of Article 1 of the New Jersey State Constitution.
The American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center also claimed in the lawsuit that public schools should not "engage in an exercise that tells students that patriotism is tied to a belief in God", and that doing this relegates atheists and humanists as "second class citizens."
Samantha Jones and her family challenged the case together with the school district, and gained the support of the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion. She was represented in court by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
During arguments in November, Judge Bauman had noted that evidence failed to demonstrate that the student from the unnamed family was "bullied, ostracised or in any way mistreated."
Jones released a statement on Friday after the judge delivered the ruling.
"I'm so grateful the court decided that kids like me shouldn't be silenced just because some people object to timeless American values," her statement said.
"Ever since I was little, I've recited the Pledge of Allegiance because it sums up the values that make our country great. The phrase 'under God' protects all Americans-including atheists-because it reminds the government that it can't take away basic human rights because it didn't create them," Jones added.
"The message today is loud and clear: 'God' is not a dirty word," the Becket Fund said in a separate statement. "The Pledge of Allegiance isn't a prayer, and reciting it doesn't magically create an official state religion."
