(O’Connor, J., concurring) (“in my view, [governmental] acknowledgements [of religion], such legislative prayers ... and the printing of ‘In God We Trust’ on our coins serve the secular purposes of solemnizing public occasions, expressing confidence in the future and encouraging the recognition of what is worthy of appreciation in society.” (internal citation and quotation marks omitted)). As such, the Court’s Justices have distinguished our currency from improper governmental endorsements of religion. See, e.g., Van Orden, 545 U.S. at 716, 125 S.Ct. 2854 (Stevens, J., dissenting) (noting that the “message conveyed by the Ten Commandments cannot be analogized to an appendage to a common article of commerce (‘In God We Trust’).”); Cnty. of Allegheny, 492 U.S. at 602-03, 109 S.Ct. 3086 (<HOLDING>); Lynch, 465 U.S. at 716, 104 S.Ct. 1355
holding inter alia that the display of a creche at a country courthouse violated the establishment clause but noting that there is an obvious distinction between a creche display and references to god in the motto and the pledge holding that the display of a creche as a part of a public christmas display depicts the historical origins of this traditional event long recognized as a national holiday holding that the display of a privately sponsored creche on the staircase of the courthouse violated the establishment clause because the display actually favored sectarian religious expression holding that display of unattended menorah in city hall park quite close to seat of government violated establishment clause because its combination alongside a secular holiday display did not cause a viewer to see the exhibit as a whole or as a unitary symbol holding that county violated establishment clause by giving roman catholic group preferential access to display standalone creche depicting birth of jesus on main staircase of its seat of government because reasonable observer would believe countys action was meant to support and promote christianity