Jots & Tittles

All Things Are Possible (Unless They Violate the First Amendment)

The Ohio state motto—“With God All Things Are Possible”—has been declared unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this past spring that the motto violates the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.

The judges reasoned that because the motto is a word-for-word quote of a statement by Jesus, it advances a “uniquely Christian thought not shared by Jews and Muslims.”

The case against the motto was brought by the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and, interestingly, by a Cleveland-area Presbyterian minister. The full Circuit Court will now review the decision; however it rules, the losing side is expected to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.