JURIST - Paper Chase: Pledge challenger promises new suits across the country

Michael Newdow, the Sacramento atheist who sued to have "Under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance has announced that he plans to file more Pledge suits in several regions simultaneously. Newdow said he plans to file in the Sacramento federal court within the next month, listing himself and two families as plaintiffs. He then wants to file suits in seven of the nation's other 11 judicial circuits. Newdow received high praise from legal commentators for the presentation of his last case, Elk Grove Unified School Dist. v. Newdow, which ended last June when the Supreme Court ruled that because Newdow did not have legal custody of his daughter, he did not have standing to bring the case. Click here to read the text of that opinion. The Sacramento County Elk Grove Unified School District has a FAQ on its policy toward the Pledge and the Newdow litigation. The Sacramento Bee has more.