Source: American Civil Liberties Union

http://www.aclu.org/court/court.cfm?ID=15298&c=261

On March 24, 2004 American Civil Liberties Union issued a press release that reported, "The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Supreme Court to uphold a federal appeals court ruling that public schools are constitutionally barred from linking patriotism and piety by reciting the phrase 'under God' as part of the Pledge of Allegiance. 'The government should not be asking impressionable schoolchildren to affirm their allegiance to God at the same time that they are affirming their allegiance to the country,' said ACLU Legal Director Steven R. Shapiro. 'Removing "under God" from the Pledge is not anti-religious,' he added. 'Just the opposite is true. The only way the religious reference in the Pledge can be upheld is for the Court to conclude that the words "under God" have no religious meaning, which is far more insulting to people of faith.'"