Judge strikes down 'God' language in law

27.08.09, UPI (US). A circuit judge in Kentucky has declared a reference to God in a 2006 state law is unconstitutional. Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate said state lawmakers created an official government position when it pass a law requiring the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to recognize that "dependence on Almighty God" was vital to the state's security, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal reported Thursday. In addition, the law requires the office's executive director to include a statement asserting the state's reliance on God in training materials and on a plaque at the state's Emergency Operations Center. Wingate said the religious reference violated the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions, which bar the government from establishing an official religion.