U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Forsyth County Sectarian Prayer Case
Decision Marks End of 5-Year Legal Battle to Remove Divisive Sectarian Prayers from Public Board of Commissioners Meetings in Forsyth County, North Carolina
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
WASHINGTON. – The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will not review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit finding that the Forsyth County, North Carolina, Board of Commissioners violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by opening an estimated four-fifths of public meetings with sectarian prayer.
The case, Joyner v. Forsyth County, was filed in 2007 by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF), and the Winston-Salem Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, on behalf of Janet Joyner and Constance Blackmon.
The two women are longtime Forsyth County residents who had attended meetings of the County Board of Commissioners and objected to the sectarian invocations that were routinely delivered by clergy at meetings. A U.S. magistrate judge, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled the prayers unconstitutional, holding that their content amounted to a government endorsement of Christianity over other belief systems.
“Overtly sectarian prayer does not belong in a government meeting,” said Katy Parker, Legal Director for the ACLU-NCLF. “This is the same conclusion that was reached by three separate lower courts who heard our case. The law is now settled, and we are very happy that nobody in Forsyth County will feel like a second-class citizen because of what they believe.”
“One of the most basic rights guaranteed to all Americans is a government that does not pick sides on matters of religion,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “Government-sponsored sectarian prayer is needlessly divisive, and with the end of this case, religious liberty has prevailed.”
Stay Informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy policy.
The Latest in National Security
-
ACLU Acknowledges Improvements to DOJ Racial Profiling Policy, But Says Far More is Needed
-
ACLU Applauds Court For Allowing Case Challenging FBI’s Wrongful Prosecution of Chinese American Physics Professor To Move Forward
-
Shen v. Simpson
-
Chinese Immigrants Sue Florida Over Unconstitutional and Discriminatory Law Banning Them From Buying Land
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About National Security
The ACLU’s National Security Project is dedicated to ensuring that U.S. national security policies and practices are consistent with the Constitution, civil liberties, and human rights.