FRC Commends SCOTUS for Taking Town of Greece v. Galloway, Could be Most Momentous Religious Liberty Victory in Decades

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) commends the U.S. Supreme Court for its decision today granting review in Town of Greece v. Galloway. If the Court decides in favor of the town of Greece, the decision could become the most significant religious liberty victory in half a century. Director of FRC's Center for Religious Liberty, Ken Klukowski, J.D., submitted an amicus brief on behalf of 49 Members of Congress supporting the Alliance Defending Freedom's petition in this case addressing public prayer before town meetings.

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"It is likely that the town of Greece will prevail before the U.S. Supreme Court in this case, and a victory for them will be a victory for all Americans of faith and for the Constitution itself," said Klukowski. "Given that the Court has looked approvingly to legislative prayer dating to the Founding, it is likely that the Court will not only affirm prayer but significantly strengthen the religious liberty rights of Americans in public life and the public square."

In Galloway, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the use of public prayer before town meetings in the town of Greece was a violation of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. The Second Circuit court ruled this despite the town's highly inclusive policy that allowed even practicing Wiccans and atheists to offer civic prayers.

Klukowski, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at FRC, authored the amicus brief on behalf of the Members of Congress. In the brief, he compared prayer before town meetings to the legislative prayers before the U.S. House of Representatives.

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

SOURCE Family Research Council