The Massachusetts' Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state's schoolchildren can continue to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, despite the appearance of the phrase "under God."
The Court ruled against the American Humanist Association, an atheist advocacy group, who sought to have the Pledge deemed unconstitutional.
Legal counsel for the defendants said that the lawsuit was ludicrous.
"Today the Court affirmed what should have been obvious—'God' is not a dirty word," Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Deputy General Counsel Eric Rassbach said in a statement.
"And it isn't discriminatory either. The words 'under God' are a reminder to our children that government doesn't give us our rights and it can't take them away either. Preserving the Pledge protects the rights of every American."
The Massachusetts Supreme Court found that because Pledge recitation is optional and a part of our nation's fabric, it is not a freedom of religion violation.
"Here there is no discriminatory classification for purposes of art. 106," Chief Justice Roderick Ireland wrote in the decision. "...No differing treatment of any class or classes of students based on their sex, race, color, creed, or national origin. All students are treated alike."
Massachusetts parents Dan and Ingrid Joyce, who were parties in the case, applauded the judges' decision.
"We believe that the Pledge represents all Americans and we think the Court's decision respects the wonderful diversity we have in our society," they said in a press release.
"We are proud of the ideals that the Pledge espouses, and we hope to continue contributing to our community in ways that will help make this nation the country that our Founders envisioned: One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
The case is the latest victory in Pledge of Allegiance lawsuits over the words "under God." The Becket Fund has successfully defended similar suits in California and New Hampshire.
