Newdow Challenges the Constitutionality of Prayer in the Presidential Inauguration

Michael Newdow, the atheist and opponent of the rights of religious exercise and expression who brought the constitutional challenge to the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, has now brought suit to prohibit prayer in the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. Jay Sekulow of the ACLJ American Center for Law & Justice says Newdow's challenge is legally flawed. Not only has God's help been sought at the inauguration of every single American president, but the ACLJ cites the 1983 Supreme Court decision, Marsh vs. Chambers, which held that the "opening of sessions of legislative and other deliberative public bodies with prayer is deeply embedded in the history and tradition of this country." The ACLJ calls the suit "a blatant attack on our country’s cherished heritage, religious foundation, and personal freedoms."