Ruling recommends against sectarian prayer at Forsyth County Board of Commissioners' meetings

Magistrate Judge P. Trevor Sharp recommended [.pdf] yesterday that U.S. District Court bar Forsyth County from allowing sectarian prayers at board of commissioners meetings, the Winston-Salem Journal reported today:

Sharp found that the "overwhelming frequency" of references to "Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ or Savior" in the prayers at commissioners' meetings indicates that the board demonstrates a "preference for Christianity over other religions by the government."

As a result, as Religion Clause explains, "the invocations opening Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meetings violate the Establishment Clause:"

The court concluded that while the selection process strives to include a wide variety of speakers from diverse religious faiths, "it is the prayers themselves that the public 'sees and hears,' not the selection policy."