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Lafayette president Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55 and James E. Lennertz, associate professor of government and law, will debate and discuss the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, which concerns the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in Hugel Science Center room 103.
The moderator will be George Panichas, professor and head of philosophy.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in June 2002 that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because it contains the phrase “under God.” The Ninth Circuit covers California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, and Idaho. The Supreme Court agreed last month to consider the case.
Free and open to the public, the event will be interactive, with audience members’ questions selected for discussion by the panelists. Refreshments will be served.
The forum is sponsored by four student organizations, the Kirby Journal of Law and Politics, Kirby Government and Law Society, College Democrats, and Lafayette Communications Union.