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Sheriff Accused for Incorporating “In God We Trust” on Police Department Vehicles

Thank you for joining us for the First Liberty Briefing, an exclusive podcast where host Jeremy Dys—also First Liberty Senior Counsel—provides an insider’s look at the stories, cases, people and laws that have made America the world’s leader in protecting religious liberty.

An atheist group has criticized Wayne Ivey, Sheriff of Brevard County, Florida, for lettering “In God We Trust” on the exterior of his police department’s vehicles. This accusation is nothing short of ridiculous—even the United States and the State of Florida claim this phrase as their official mottos! Learn more at FirstLiberty.org/Briefing.

The Sheriff of Brevard County, Florida, Wayne Ivey, made a decision that one group hates, but you will probably love. 

Sheriff Accused for Incorporating “In God We Trust” on Police Department VehiclesHe decided to put new lettering on all of his cruisers and department vehicles.  That lettering is the National Motto, “In God We Trust.” That merited Sheriff Ivey a nasty letter from a group of atheists.  Usually this group cites a few cases to make their point, but this time, they didn’t cite a single case in support of their demands that he remove the motto from the vehicles. 

That’s probably because it is nearly impossible for them to cite any binding case invalidating the National Motto.  As we have observed before on this program, every federal appellate court to have considered the motto has deemed it perfectly constitutional.  This past summer, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to review the constitutionality of the motto appearing on our coinage. 

More ironically, not only is “In God We Trust” the official motto of the United States, the State of Florida adopted the phrase as its official state motto as well.  So, it’s a little hard to figure how it would be inappropriate—much less, illegal—for a sheriff in the State of Florida, within the United States, to publish the state’s official motto on his cruisers. 

We sent a letter to Sheriff Ivey letting him know he’s on solid ground with his decision.  And, with that support, I’m happy to report that he’s not changing his mind anytime soon.

To learn how First Liberty is protecting religious liberty for all Americans, visit FirstLiberty.org.

First Liberty Institute is the largest organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to protecting religious freedom for all Americans. Find out more here.

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