Sectarian Invocations At N.C. County Board Meetings Violate Constitution, Federal Magistrate Says

Opening meetings of the Forsyth County, N.C., Board of Commissioners with sectarian prayers violates the U.S. Constitution and should be stopped, a federal magistrate judge has recommended.

In a finding today in Joyner v. Forsyth County, U.S. Magistrate Judge P. Trevor Sharp noted that the government-sponsored invocations at board meetings are overwhelmingly Christian in character, alienating those with non-Christian beliefs and dividing citizens along religious lines. 

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Janet Joyner and Constance Lynn Blackmon, two county residents and members of the Winston-Salem Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “This is a tremendous victory for religious liberty and American pluralism. We are an incredibly diverse nation, and the government should never play favorites when it comes to religion.”

Magistrate Judge Sharp noted that the record in the case indicates that 26 of the 33 invocations given from May 29, 2007, until Dec. 15, 2008, contained at least one reference to Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ, Savior or the Trinity.

Observed Sharp, “These prayers as a whole cannot be considered non-sectarian or civil prayer. They display a preference for Christianity over other religions by the government. The frequent references to Jesus Christ cause the prayers to promote one religion over all others, and thus the effect of these prayers is to affiliate the Board with a specific faith or belief.”

Sharp recommended that the U.S. District Court “enjoin the continuation of the Policy as it is now implemented.”

Americans United Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan said the magistrate judge’s finding is right on target.

“The board of commissioners is elected to do the public’s business, not meddle in religious matters,” said Khan. “The Constitution gives government officials no authority whatsoever to prefer one faith over others.” 

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.