8/4/11: Public Prayers Are Constitutional

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Even though a North Carolina county was forced to cease its public meeting prayers, The Alliance Defense Fund is urging several California cities to ignore threats from atheists that they’ll sue if prayers continue in those locales.

ADF sent letters to Colton, Escondido, Highland, and Yorba Linda, as well as San Bernardino County to urge local governments to continue invoking public prayers. ADF notes that on July 11, a federal court upheld the city of Lancaster’s right to continue prayers before city council meetings.

Brett Harvey, senior counsel for the ADF said “The Freedom From Religion Foundation has no valid, legal argument to demand that the prayers be censored or eliminated.”

The letter states that ADF is convinced its invocation policy will “pass constitutional muster.”