Ohio’s official state motto, “With God, all things are possible,” is unconstitutional, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled April 25.
A panel of judges from the court said the motto violates the First Amendment’s ban on establishment of religion.
The ruling came in a complaint brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argued that the motto served no secular purpose and gave the appearance of government endorsement of religion.
The ACLU asked the appeals court to reverse a 1998 decision by a federal judge which permitted continued display of the state motto as long as such displays do not acknowledge the motto’s origin. The motto was adopted in 1959, and is from the Bible.
The state argued the motto does not force people to adopt or profess any religious belief.
Former Gov. George Voinovich, now a senator from Ohio, said the idea of displaying the motto at the Statehouse came during a trade mission to India, where he saw a public building with the slogan, “Government Work is God’s Work.”
The ACLU sued on behalf of the Rev. Matthew Peterson, a Presbyterian minister in suburban Cleveland, who challenged Ohio’s official use of the motto.
The state could appeal the ruling, but no decision on an appeal has been made. (EP)
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