Newdow V. U.S. Congress

In Newdow v. U.S. Congress, 541 U.S. 1 (2004), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned on standing grounds a challenge to the voluntary recitation in public schools of the Pledge of Allegiance. The plaintiff, a self-described atheist, insisted that the mention of "under God" in the Pledge violated the First Amendment.

By dismissing the case on procedural grounds, the Court deferred to a future case the resolution of the merits of this type of challenge.