A federal judge ruled that printing “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency is not a religious endorsement and therefore is not in violation of the Constitution.
According to The Associated Press, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago made the ruling on the national motto on Thursday. The AP said the decision was first reported by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
The court declined to revive the lawsuit a self-described satanist, Kenneth Mayle, filed against the federal government under the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
A lower court dismissed Mayle’s suit, citing the Supreme Court decision that a motto on currency isn’t something that people are forced to display prominently, and that as a result, people are not force to display views that are opposed to their own opinions.
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Mayle later made an appeal to restore the lawsuit, but the 7th Circuit shot down his efforts, calling the motto a “historical reminder” of the country’s heritage.