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NC county officials will fight for invocations

Members of the board of commissioners in Forsyth County, North Carolina, have determined to fight a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union that challenges opening invocation prayers at their meetings. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court, specifically alleges that making reference to Jesus Christ in opening prayers is illegal.



The County's lead attorney on defense in the case, Mike Johnson of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), counters that assertion, explaining that mention of "sectarian deities" in public governmental prayers is not in and of itself unconstitutional when "proselytizing" and "aggressive promotion" are not used. As well, he cites an already-existing constitutional precedent of government invocations with sectarian references, including those in the U.S. Congress.

"This issue is about a practice that goes back to the very first Congress," Johnson points out." I mean, the practice of opening a meeting with an invocation is one that goes back more than 230 years. So just because the ACLU says that they're offended by it doesn't mean [the county has] got to stop."

Johnson says Forsyth County is one of many groups that are using assistance from special legal groups to fight an acknowledged strategy of scare tactics against local governments. "I think this certainly is a nationwide strategy," says the ADF attorney. "We've heard from a number of cities and counties and city councils and boards of supervisors and other local bodies that have said that they've received the same threats, the same radical demands from the ACLU."

In response to that ongoing strategy to threaten and file suits of this manner across the country, ADF has been helping local government bodies draft their prayer policies -- and standing by to assist in case of legal challenges. "We've drafted these model policies as a way to help these local governmental bodies preserve this very important American tradition," says the attorney.

Johnson explains that there is no reason to give in to the ACLU, because prayers at government meetings are perfectly constitutional -- as long as they are done in a way that will pass court review for legal precedent.