Written by Don Byrd
As regular Blog From the Capital readers know, the Supreme Court is set to decide a highly contentious religious liberty issue next term when it takes on the constitutional problem of legislative prayer in Town of Greece v. Galloway. Can government meetings open with an official prayer? And if so, can and should the government institute policies to ensure the prayers leave no impression of religious endorsement or preference?
Ahead of the arguments, advocates have begun filing friend-of-the-court briefs, including a few high profile groups this week arguing there’s nothing unconstitutional about local governments opening meetings with sectarian prayer. If you are interested in reading that point of view, here are some links: 34 U.S. Senators signed on to a brief led by Senator Marco Rubio. 23 state Attorneys General have filed another. Meanwhile, the ERLC of the Southern Baptist Convention has filed a brief of its own.
For a full list of briefs that have been filed to date, check out SCOTUSBlog’s coverage here.
The Court is expected to hear the case in the Fall.
