Pledge or prayer?

National | COURTS: The Supreme Court considers whether "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is merely a patriotic slogan | Lynn Vincent

AFTER THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IN October agreed to review the Pledge of Allegiance case involving Michael Newdow, his 9-year-old daughter, and a California school district, the paper storm began. At issue: whether the Elk Grove Unified School District's policy of beginning each day with the Pledge of Allegiance, which includes the phrase "under God," is unconstitutional. More than two dozen high-powered groups-including members of the U.S. Congress-showered the high court with legal briefs rooted in everything from patriotism to atheism.

Lesser known were 300 treatises on the topic penned by California high-school students. The school district at the eye of the controversy held an essay contest centered on the same question before the court: Does the practice of teacher-led recitation of the Pledge violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?

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