May 5, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) applauded the U.S. Supreme Court for its decision today in Town of Greece v. Galloway upholding the constitutionality of legislative prayer and affirming the long-held right of Americans to pray in the public square. Family Research Council submitted an amicus brief on behalf of 49 Members of Congress supporting Alliance Defending Freedom's petition in this case.
"The court today has upheld our first and most fundamental freedom," said FRC President Tony Perkins. "The court has rejected the idea that as citizens we must check our faith at the entrance to the public square. We applaud the majority on the court for getting that right. This is an historic victory for all Americans of faith and for the common-sense reading of the Constitution itself. The Court's affirmation of the right of Americans to practice their faith in public life and the public square is a major win for the religious liberty we have always cherished.
"If the lower court ruling were correct, then Congress would have been violating the Constitution for more than two centuries. The Supreme Court majority recognized the absurdity of a ruling that would have even found the Constitution's authors in violation of their own document. This welcome decision is very helpful in putting the brakes on the efforts of militant secularists to rid the public square of any religious expression," concluded Perkins.
Travis Weber, FRC's director for the Center for Religious Liberty, added the following comments:
"It is heartening to see the Supreme Court affirm the principle that religious exercise must not be removed from one's life just because one is acting in public view by reciting a prayer for a government body. Religious expression is part of what makes us human, and to force people to suppress that element of their lives just because they are in the public eye would be very wrong. We are glad to see the Supreme Court decide this case in a way that protects religious liberty for all," concluded Weber.
To read the House Member's amicus brief in Town of Greece v. Galloway, and to see a list of the Members who signed it, click here: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF13A26.pdf
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