New Jersey schools will continue to say “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance after an anti-Christian organization reportedly has dropped their lawsuit.

The American Humanist Association (AHA) sued a New Jersey school district last year to get “under God” removed from the pledge.  The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who had been helping a student who was fighting the AHA, announced Monday the American Humanist Association had been beaten.

“The American Humanist Association’s challenge turned out to be all bark and no bite,” said Diana Verm, legal counsel with the Becket Fund, in a statement shared with The Christian Post.  “The court was right that the pledge doesn’t exclude anyone, but dissenters have the right to sit it out. That’s how we’ve always dealt with disagreements in our society.”

The AHA did not expect that a high school student would stand up to fight them.  Samantha Jones and her family filed responses to the lawsuit and testified during a November motion.

“I’ve been reciting the pledge since preschool, and to me the phrase ‘one nation under God’ sums up the history and values that have made our country great,” Jones said last year.

“I think it’s empowering to know that, no matter what happens, I have some rights the government can never take away. No student should be silenced just because some people disagree with timeless American values.”