Abstract
The current battle over Ohio's state motto, "With God All Things Are Possible," has brought the debate over the meaning and application of the Establishment Clause to the Sixth Circuit and sparked deep feelings on both sides of the issue. Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This brief survey will reveal the continuing disagreements over the interpretation and application of the Establishment Clause while showing that history supports generalized references to God by the federal and state government. Part III will introduce the background and procedural history of the current case American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio v. Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board,' in which the Ohio state motto is being attacked as a violation of the Establishment Clause. Part IV will briefly analyze the Lemon, endorsement, and coercion tests used in Establishment Clause jurisprudence and then apply each test to Ohio's motto. The result of this discussion will show that history, jurisprudence and logic support upholding Ohio's state motto as constitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Recommended Citation
Note, With God All Things Are Possible, Including Finding Ohio's State Motto Constitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, 49 Clev. St. L. Rev. 749 (2001)