establishment of religion clause

The U.S. Supreme Court, 5-4, has upheld legislative prayer in the Town of Greece v. Galloway case, Volokh Conspiracy reports. The majority ruled that opening legislative sessions with Christian prayers doesn't violate the First Amendment's ban on the government establishing religious practices. Here's the opinion: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-696_4f57.pdf

Concern over the lack of civics education and civic engagement is a common issue for bar associations, but U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has a twist on that concern, the Chicago Tribune reports: "Civics education in the United States faces a crisis because of a drift away from the ideals held by the nation's founders, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Friday in Chicago. Scalia said that among his concerns is the removal of religious ideals from public education. 'Let me make clear that I am not saying that every good American must believe in God,' Scalia said in a speech at the Union League Club. 'What I am saying, however, is that it is contrary to our founding principles to insist that government be hostile to religion. Or even to insist, as my court, alas, has done, that government cannot favor religion over nonreligion.'"

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has this feature on the plaintiffs who are challenging the practice of conducting mostly Christian prayers during town meetings for Rochester suburb Greece. The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear oral argument on the issue tomorrow.

The plaintiffs said they are not anti-religion but they think religious involvement pollutes government: "'We are trying to protect religion. Whenever government gets involved in religion, it gets corrupted. I'm standing up for religion,"' plaintiff Susan Galloway told the Democrat & Chronicle.

One law professor said the Supreme Court has not considered legislative prayer in 30 years after the court established "the 'reasonable observer test,' for determining if legislative prayers constituted an unallowable endorsement of religion," the D&C also reported.

Here is some news from my hometown region: The Solicitor General plans to make arguments in a US Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of having prayers led mostly by Christian pastors before the start of town meetings in Greece, NY (Suburb of Rochester). The Obama administration argued in an amicus brief there is a long-standing tradition of legislative prayer in the United States and such prayer does not violate the constitutional clause barring governmental establishment of religion. There is a circuit split on the issue with the Second Circuit ruling the predominance of Christian prayers before the Greece meetings did violate the establishment clause, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported.