http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6355206.htm
Parents disagree in pledge lawsuit
A family feud has broken out in the Supreme Court between California parents who disagree about whether their daughter -- and other children -- should start each school day with the Pledge of Allegiance. The case has gotten personal. In court filings, Sandra Banning claims Michael Newdow is not a good father, while Newdow says Banning is lying to the justices.
Newdow, a 50-year-old atheist and physician who lives in Sacramento, sued the school district where his daughter was a second-grader. An appeals court agreed with his claim that her constitutional right to religious liberty was violated by hearing the pledge. The court said the pledge should be barred from public schools.
Newdow has asked the Supreme Court for a broader ruling to eliminate the words "under God" from the pledge.
A team of attorneys representing Banning is trying to persuade the court to uphold the pledge.
Former solicitor general and independent counsel Kenneth Starr, the lead lawyer, told justices in court papers that Banning "believes the pledge is an important, patriotic expression of American ideals that reflects the democratic beliefs of a diverse society."
Her daughter does not object to the pledge and should not be involved in the Supreme Court case, said Starr, who is working on the case for free.
Newdow said in an objection this month that Banning's filing is full of "blatant distortions and untruths." -- ASSOCIATED PRESS