Liberty Alerts, American Center for Law & Justice
We are once again in federal court defending the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer. This time representing members of Congress in a critically important amicus brief to be filed in a federal appeals court. As you know, a federal district court in Wisconsin recently ruled in favor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s claim that the National Day of Prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
This ruling is clearly flawed and out of step with more than 200 years of history, Supreme Court precedent, and multiple acts of Congress.
The case is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. We are filing an amicus brief on behalf of 67 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate – both Republican and Democrat. This brief clearly demonstrates that the district court’s ruling should be overturned.
While it seems absurd that the National Day of Prayer could have been found unconstitutional in the first place, it is vital that the appeals court overturns this lower court decision. This is a case that is being followed closely and the ramifications of the outcome of this case will have dramatic ramifications – the future of the time-honored tradition of a national day to pray for our nation hangs in the balance.
Our brief includes a lengthy appendix detailing the robust history of prayer proclamations, including presidential proclamations dating back to George Washington. It’s also significant to note that James Madison, who authored the First Amendment that is at the center of this challenge, himself issued four similar proclamations of prayer.
History and the law are clearly on the side of the National Day of Prayer. We will continue fighting to make sure that the courts recognize this fact.
We’re delighted to represent 67 members of Congress in this brief at the appeals court level. We want to thank Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia for taking the lead on this Congressional effort. Rep. Forbes and Rep. Mike McIntyre of North Carolina co-chair the Congressional Prayer Caucus. The complete list is posted in alphabetical order below:
Rep. Randy Forbes
Sen. Sam Brownback
Sen. James Inhofe
Sen. Mike Johanns
Sen. Roger Wicker
Rep. Robert Aderholt
Rep. Todd Akin
Rep. Rodney Alexander
Rep. Michelle Bachmann
Rep. Spencer Bachus
Rep. Gresham Barrett
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett
Rep. Rob Bishop
Rep. Marsha Blackburn
Rep. John Boehner
Rep. John Boozman
Rep. Kevin Brady
Rep. Paul Broun
Rep. Eric Cantor
Rep. Michael Conoway
Rep. Geoff Davis
Rep. Lincoln Davis
Rep. Mary Fallin
Rep. John Fleming
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry
Rep. Virginia Foxx
Rep. Trent Franks
Rep. Scott Garrett
Rep. Phil Gingrey
Rep. Louie Gohmert
Rep. Gregg Harper
Rep. Wally Herger
Rep. Pete Hoekstra
Rep. Bob Inglis
Rep. Walter Jones
Rep. Jim Jordan
Rep. Steve King
Rep. John Kline
Rep. Doug Lamborn
Rep. Robert Latta
Rep. Donald Manzullo
Rep. Kevin McCarthy
Rep. Michael McCaul
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter
Rep. Patrick McHenry
Rep. Mike McIntyre
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Rep. Gary Miller
Rep. Jeff Miller
Rep. Jerry Moran
Rep. Sue Myrick
Rep. Randy Neugebauer
Rep. Pete Olson
Rep. Mike Pence
Rep. Joe Pitts
Rep. Ted Poe
Rep. Tom Price
Rep. Phil Roe
Rep. Jean Schmidt
Rep. Heath Shuler
Rep. Adrian Smith
Rep. Lamar Smith
Rep. Glenn Thompson
Rep. Todd Tiahrt
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland
Rep. Joe Wilson
Rep. Frank Wolf
Used with the permission of the American Center for Law and Justice.
