Lower Court Holding
Decision of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Michael Newdow is an atheist whose daughter attends public elementary school in the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) in California. In accordance with State law and a school district rule, EGUSD teachers begin each school day by leading their students in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The California Education Code requires that public schools begin each school day with "appropriate patriotic exercises" and that "[t]he giving of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America shall satisfy" this requirement. To implement the California statute, the school district that Newdow’s daughter attends has…
