United States Sixth Circuit

Ohio's statutory adoption of the motto: "With God, All Things Are Possible" under Ohio Rev. Code 5.06 does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because its sentiment is part of the country's long and deeply entrenched tradition of civic piety, or "ceremonial deism."

Appellate Information

• Argued 12/06/2000
• Decided 03/16/2001
• Published 03/16/2001

Judges

• Before: MARTIN, Chief Judge;  MERRITT, NELSON, BOGGS, NORRIS, SUHRHEINRICH, SILER, BATCHELDER, DAUGHTREY, MOORE, COLE, CLAY, and GILMAN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Sixth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Mark B. Cohn (argued and briefed), McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Haiman, Cleveland, OH, Susan B. Gellman (briefed), Wolman, Genshaft & Gellman, Columbus, OH, Louis A. Jacobs, Upper Arlington, OH, Raymond Vasvari (briefed), ACLU of Ohio Foundation, Inc., Cleveland, OH, Scott T. Greenwood, Greenwood & Associates, Cincinnati, OH, Thomas D. Buckley, Jr. (briefed), Cleveland, OH, for Plaintiffs-Appellants., Elizabeth J. Coleman, Steven M. Freeman (briefed), Anti-Defamation League, New York, NY, David R. Huggins (briefed), National Legal Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA, John G. Stepanovich (briefed), Shawn A. Voyles (briefed), American Center for Law & Justice, Virginia Beach, VA, Steven K. Green (briefed), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Washington, DC, Jeffrey S. Sutton (briefed), Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Columbus, OH, David M. Levine (briefed), Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, Cleveland, OH, for Amici Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• David M. Gormley (argued and briefed), Edward B. Foley (briefed), Office of the Attorney General of Ohio, Columbus, OH, for Defendants-Appellees.