Federal Judge Strikes Down School-Led Pledge Recitations

A federal judge in California ruled last week that public-school-led recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance are unconstitutional, a decision that could pave the way for another round of debate over separation of church and state just as the U.S. Supreme Court’s membership is changing.

The Sept. 14 ruling by U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton of Sacramento came in a second lawsuit by Michael A. Newdow, the atheist who garnered national attention last year when he argued a similar case before the nation’s highest court.

“The whole basis of this lawsuit is that we treat everyone equally in term of their religious beliefs,” Dr. Newdow, who is a physician as well as a lawyer, said in an interview. “It’s clearly not equal for government to come in and say there is a God, when in fact there are many American citizens and...