Posted on 06/28/2002 7:19:07 AM PDT by OPS4
With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said late Wednesday that the two judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional should be removed from the judiciary.
"These two judges are so out of touch with reality that they should be kicked off the bench," Gingrich told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."
Bristling at the harsh penalty, "H & C" co-host Alan Colmes protested, "For one decision? You kick judges off if you don't like one decision they make?"
"Absolutely," Gingrich shot back. "Look, this decision goes to the heart of what kind of a country we are.
"A judge who believes that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional is unfit to be a federal judge," he contended.
Nixon appointee Justice Alfred T. Goodwin wrote the majority opinion for the 9th Circuit, saying that the words "under God" violated the Constitution's Establishment Clause. Carter appointee Justice Stephen Reinhardt concurred.
Justice Ferdinand F. Fernandez, who was appointed by President Bush's father, offered the lone dissenting vote.
The Bush Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
I agree with Newt.
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