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Parents Win Battle over Toddler's Last Name of 'Allah'

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ATLANTA (AP) - A civil rights group that sued Georgia over the state's refusal to allow a couple to officially give their toddler daughter the last name "Allah" says the state has reversed course.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia sued last month on behalf of Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk, who had chosen the name ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah. The group said Thursday it is dropping its lawsuit because the Georgia Department of Health has issued a birth certificate with the name the couple had chosen.

A Department of Public Health lawyer had argued state law requires a baby's surname to be that of the father or the mother for the initial birth record. They said the child's last name should either be Handy, Walk or a combination of the two.

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