Homeland Security 'Almighty God' Reference Upheld

• {Louisville, Kentucky}...By a 2-1 vote, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled that Kentucky may continue to give official credit for its homeland security to Almighty God. The decision overturned Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate's ruling in 2009 that the phrase violates the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions of state-established religion. Kentucky's law establishing the state Office of Homeland Security requires its executive director to publicize a "dependence on Almighty God" in training and educational materials and through a plaque at the entrance to the agency's emergency operations center. Judge Laurance B. VanMeter, joined by Judge Thomas Wine, noted that there's no requirement that the Homeland Security director believe in an "Almighty God" or for people to read the plaque. VanMeter noted that the preambles to 44 states, including Kentucky, have references to "a Supreme Being," while three others have establishment clauses that refer explicitly to God or "speak approvingly of religion."