Pledge Stays Intact as Justices Dismiss Atheist’s Challenge

By Caroline Hendrie

The fiery California atheist who last week lost his bid at the U.S. Supreme Court to get "under God" stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance vows to continue the fight with new plaintiffs, preferably in cases against school districts all over the country.

"This case will be back," said Michael A. Newdow, an emergency-room physician with a law degree who represented himself before the Supreme Court in the high-profile case against the Elk Grove, Calif., school district.

Dr. Newdow had argued, and a federal appeals court had agreed, that the district was unconstitutionally exposing his now-10-year-old daughter to religious dogma during the daily classroom ritual of pledging allegiance...