Newsday: Judge: No Gov't Money for Boy Scout Trip

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Judge: No Gov't Money for Boy Scout Trip
By DAN CATERINICCHIA
Associated Press Writer
July 7, 2005, 11:39 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- A federal judge has ruled the Pentagon can no longer spend millions in government money to ready a Virginia military base for a national Boy Scout event typically held every four years, the American Civil Liberties Union announced Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning's June 22 order stems from a 1999 lawsuit by the ACLU of Illinois that claimed the Defense Department sponsorship violates the First Amendment because the Scouts require members to swear an oath of duty to God.

Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said Thursday the government was still considering its options.

The order doesn't cover this year's National Scout Jamboree, which start July 25 and is expected to draw more than 40,000 people to the Army's Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.

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