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Poll: Almost half in U.S. creationist
SACRAMENTO, June 13 (UPI) -- A federal judge in California has rejected an atheist's claim that the motto "In God we trust" violates the First Amendment separation of church and state.
U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ruled that he is bound by a 1970 appellate opinion that the motto "has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion," the Sacramento Bee reported. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the phrase's use on coins and in other places is "of a patriotic and ceremonial character."
Michael Newdow, an emergency room doctor and non-practicing lawyer, argued that the appeals court ruled wrongly. He pointed to a 1977 Supreme Court decision that said New Hampshire cannot compel its citizens to display the phrase "Live free or die" on their license plates.
Newdow plans an appeal to the 9th Circuit.
In an earlier case, the 9th Circuit ruled in Newdow's favor in his challenge to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. But the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the decision on the grounds that he did not have standing to sue on his daughter's behalf because his ex-wife was the custodial parent.
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WILMINGTON, Del., June 3 (UPI) --
A group investigating the disappearance of Amelia Earhart concluded she died on an uninhabited Pacific island where her plane made an emergency landing in 1937.
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SAN FRANCISCO, June 3 (UPI) --
"Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, was honored at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards in San Francisco, the organization said.
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If you're in the market for a car or truck it might make more sense to consider a new vehicle this year rather than a used one.
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HARRISBURG, Pa., June 3 (UPI) --
Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say they found a wallaby, a marsupial native to Australia, roaming the northwestern part of the state.
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