WCVB in Boston reported yesterday that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that saying the pledge of allegiance every day in public school, including the words “under God,” does not violate the Massachusetts Constitution or discriminate against atheists.

In 2010 an atheist family in Acton, Massachusetts, sued, claiming that the daily recitation of the pledge in classrooms violated their three children’s constitutional rights. The family, who are not identified in the suit, said the ruling insinuates that nonbelievers are less patriotic.

The article reports:

In its ruling the court took pains to make clear that reciting the pledge is voluntary, ” No Massachusetts school student is required by law to recite the pledge or to participate in the ceremony of which the pledge is a part. Recitation of the pledge is entirely optional.”

The decision only applies to Massachusetts because the pledge’s language is defined by federal law.

Good grief.