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CASE CLOSED:
Briefs: Top court rejects appeal in 'In God We Trust' suit
The New York Times, The Associated Press
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2005
The Supreme Court on Monday avoided a dispute over the constitutionality of putting "In God We Trust" on government buildings.
The court did not comment in rejecting an appeal over an "In God We Trust" inscription on the Davidson County Government Center in Lexington, North Carolina.
The inscription, in 18-inch block letters, was paid for with donations from individuals and churches in 2002. It is more prominent than the name of the building, according to opponents. The lawsuit was filed by Charles Lambeth Jr. and Michael Lea, two lawyers who regularly practice in the center.
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said that "In God We Trust" appears on the nation's coins and was made the national motto by Congress.
"In this situation, the reasonable observer must be deemed aware of the patriotic uses, both historical and present, of the phrase 'In God We Trust,"' the court said. (AP)
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