This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case involving the Peace Cross, a monument erected nearly 100 years ago in Bladensburg, Maryland to honor 49 service members who gave their lives in World War I. This case, explained in greater detail here and here , will not only decide the...

Does a near-century-old memorial cross, dedicated to the memory of local soldiers who perished in World War I, violate the First Amendment’s prohibition against governmental establishment of religion? As we point out in an amicus curiae brief filed with the Supreme Court today, the answer to that...

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1 It’s the time of year in America when we gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving. As Americans we have so much to be thankful for this year – the wonderful blessings of life and...

Veterans Day is this Sunday, November11th, but will be commemorated this Monday, November 12th, as a Federal Holiday. Formerly known as Armistice Day, this holiday was originally created to commemorate the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. It is the 100th...

The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will decide whether a war memorial cross is constitutional under the First Amendment. As explained in more detail here , the Bladensburg Peace Cross was funded and erected nearly a century ago by the American Legion and others to commemorate the lives of...

On this 17th anniversary, we pause and take a moment to remember 9/11. Even after 17 years, the tragic events of September 11, 2001, are still seared in our nation’s collective memory. 9/11 shook America to its core. On this date every year, it is impossible not to remember the events of that...

Supreme Court decisions interpreting the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause are not, to put it charitably, a model of clarity. The jurisprudence arising out of those decisions has been described by the lower court judges as a “judicial morass,” “rife with confusion,” and a “trial judge’s...

Last week, before its summer recess, the United States Supreme Court refused to review a case in which the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Jackson County, Michigan, Board of Commissioners’ practice of starting its meetings with prayer. That is good news. The Supreme Court, however, also...

On this Independence Day, many Americans will get together with family and friends, to celebrate our great nation. Make no mistake, America is great, and we are free, because of the bravery and sacrifice of great men and women who have stood and continue to stand to defend our country. First and...

Within just days of one victory in a National Motto case , another federal appellate court dismissed a similar lawsuit brought by a Satanist. The self-proclaimed “Satanist,” Kenneth Mayle, had sued the United States government, claiming that the National Motto – “In God We Trust” – on currency...

A federal appellate court has just dismissed an atheist lawsuit, agreeing once again with our arguments that the National Motto – In God We Trust – does not violate the Constitution. Earlier this week, the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s decision dismissing Michael...

“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” ---Winston Churchill Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States to remember all those who have died in military service to the nation. But why do we set this day...

Late last week, as we promised , the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed an amicus brief in federal appeals court defending our National Motto – “In God We Trust” – from a self-described Satanist who brought a lawsuit asking the court to order the motto excised from the nation’s...

During the shutdown of 2013, the Obama Administration turned our public lands and war memorials into political weapons, denying veterans access to the very monuments built in their honor. We were there; we stepped in; we stopped it. In contrast, during the shutdown of 2018, the Trump Administration...

For many years, atheists have led the futile charge to have the National Motto excised from the nation’s currency. Undeterred by the atheists’ unbroken string of losses in courts around the country, a self identified “Satanist” has now joined the cause. The Satanist, Kenneth Mayle, filed suit in a...

Every December, Americans are reminded of December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked the United States. The sneak attack on Pearl Harbor was the catalyst that led to our involvement in World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt, in asking Congress to declare war against Japan, famously called the...

This Thanksgiving, it is more important than ever to take time to reflect on the true meaning of this important holiday. Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday. It was instituted by President George Washington by a Proclamation on October 3, 1789, setting aside November 26th as a national day of...

Last week marked the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the culmination of a two-part revolution that removed Czar Nicholas and established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or the USSR. It is a dark date in history. The brutal murder of the Czar, his wife and their...

Veterans Day is Saturday, November 11th, but will be commemorated this Friday, November 10th, as a Federal Holiday. Formerly known as Armistice Day, this holiday was originally created to commemorate the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. That war was referred to...

Today, the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals sitting en banc —that is, all active judges rather than the usual three— upheld the Jackson County, Michigan, Board of Commissioners’ practice of starting its meetings with prayer. The American Center for Law & Justice (“ACLJ”) filed an amicus...