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Judge can lead prayer in courtroom, federal appeals court rules
(The Blaze) A Texas judge can continue opening his court proceedings ceremony with a prayer, a divided U.S. appeals court has ruled.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sued Texas Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack over Mack’s practice of starting each court day with a few minutes for prayers delivered by faith leaders, reports Reuters.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 2-1 in favor of Mack. The court rejected the FFRF’s claim that Mack’s practice could be viewed as prejudicial. “We cannot credit the plaintiffs’ assertion that ‘coercion in a courtroom doesn’t come from the imposition of actual prejudice; it comes from a perceived risk of prejudice.’ The plaintiffs must present evidence that any such perception is objectively reasonable — evidence from which we can conclude that ‘coercion is a real and substantial likelihood,’” the court’s opinion stated…Read the rest
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