NEW LEGISLATIVE PRAYER CASE: TOWN OF GREECE V. GALLOWAY, WWW.CHARLESJEROMEWARE.COM

[see cites, SCOTUS Docket No. 12-696; Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, 681 F.3d 20 (2012); U.S. District Court, Western District New York, 732 F. Supp. 2d 195 (2010); www.scotusblog.com/08-07-2013/"U.S.BacksGovernmentPrayer"]

     

            The Obama Administration, entering a major new test case on government-religion ties, has urged the Supreme Court to allow prayers at the beginning of government meetings, even if most if not all of the recitals are from one religion, such as Christianity.  But, in a newly filed brief, it has also asked the Court not to allow citizens to join in such sessions with their own private prayers. 

            The Court in May agreed to decide, at its next Term, the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway (docket 12-696), involving the prayer practices at meetings of a town council in the upstate New York community of just under 100,000 people.  The federal government is not directly involved in the case, but chose to enter it to offer its views, as it has in a number of other cases involving prayers in government settings.

            The new brief at one level is a defense of the long-standing practice in Congress of opening daily sessions with prayers, but on a broader level it provides a full defense of religious-oriented prayers at government meetings – provided they do not seek to recruit believers or criticize a given faith.  But it contends that it does not matter, constitutionally, that those attending hear only, or mostly, the expressions of religious belief of one sect or denomination.

            Charles Ware is an attorney and best-selling award winning author in the national law firm of Charles Jerome Ware, P.A., Attorneys and Counselors.  The firm is headquartered in Columbia, Howard County, Maryland.
           
Attorney Ware can be reached at www.charlesjeromeware.com, (410) 730-5016, (410) 720-6129.