A Wisconsin-based group called the Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a lawsuit in federal court, trying to stop the engraving of "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance on the walls of the new Capitol Visitors Center. King spoke with Radio Iowa about the lawsuit, as he is named on page 5. Below are the portion of the court documents which reference King:
24. Representative Steve King of Iowa, and other members of Congress, also
complained that the Capitol Visitor Center allegedly portrays the role of religion as less central than they believe is appropriate.
25. According to Representative King, the Capitol Visitor Center, without the engraving
of "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance, supposedly reflects an effort "to scrub
references to America's Christian heritage" and to eradicate "the role of Christianity in America."
26. The stated purpose of the Capitol Visitor Center, however, is to provide a welcoming
and educational environment for visitors to learn about the unique characteristics of the United
States House of Representatives and the United States Senate and the legislative process, as well as the history and development of the architecture and art of the Unites States Capitol.
27. The Congressional directive to prominently include religious engravings in the
Capitol Visitor Center is intended to and does give the appearance of linking the legislative process to the purported religious beliefs of the members of Congress.
28. Representative King, for example, stated prior to passage of the Congressional
directive that "our Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone" of the United States government.
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
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