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Supreme Court asked to review North Carolina county prayer ruling

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lower court ruled that county commissioners' practice of leading the prayers themselves and inviting the audience to join, always in the Christian faith, violated the First Amendment by establishing Christianity as a preferred religion.
Supreme Court asked to review North Carolina county prayer ruling
A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington. Photo by Duncan Lock/Creative Commons
Jerome Socolovsky

WASHINGTON (AP) — A North Carolina county will ask the Supreme Court to review a ruling barring it from opening its meetings with Christian prayers.

RELATED: Court: N.C. commissioners’ prayer practice violated Constitution

The First Liberty Institute, representing the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, filed papers Thursday (Oct. 12) with the high court asking it to consider the case.


In July, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled 10-5 against the county. The judges said that while prayer itself is not unconstitutional, the commissioners’ practice of leading the prayers themselves and inviting the audience to join, always in the Christian faith, violated the First Amendment by establishing Christianity as a preferred religion.

The Richmond court’s ruling is at odds with the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati, which found in September that such prayers are constitutional in a case out of Michigan.

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