Madison Federal Judge: Nat'l Day of Prayer Unconstitutional
Posted Friday April 16, 2010 19 minutes ago
MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Federal Judge Barbara Crabb of Madison says the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, because it violates the 1st Amendment’s ban on laws establishing religion. Crabb ruled Thursday in favor of Madison’s Freedom from Religion Foundation, which filed suit against the White House to end the president’s annual proclamation.
Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor called the decision courageous. She said it invades Americans’ freedom of conscience when the president tells them to pray. The Justice Department says it will review the ruling before deciding whether to appeal it.
Jordan Sekulow, an attorney for a legal group started by evangelist Pat Robertson, is confident Crabb’s decision will be overturned. He says it does reflect the mainstream of judicial thinking throughout the country. Crabb says her decision will not be enforced until all appeals are exhausted. So the White House said it would declare the National Day of Prayer for May 6th. The day had its origins in 1952, when the Reverend Billy Graham called for such an event.
Congress passed a law in 1988 setting the first Thursday of May as a National Day of Prayer. Former President George W. Bush held activities on that day. President Obama ended those events, but he still issued the declaration and encouraged Americans to pray on their own.
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