Town of Greece v. Galloway
| Town of Greece v. Galloway | ||||
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| Negotiated November 6, 2013 |
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| Decided May 5, 2014 |
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| facts | ||||
| Certiorari to clarify the question of whether the usual practice in the city hall of Greece, New York, of opening meetings with a (mostly Christian) prayer, violates the religious neutrality requirement ( Establishment Clause ) set out in the 1st additional article . | ||||
| decision | ||||
| The 1st Amendment is not violated by the practice of the city of Greece, New York, since religious, especially Christian, prayers are in the tradition of the United States and non-believers are not forced to participate. | ||||
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| Applied Law | ||||
| 1. Amendment to the United States Constitution |
Town of Greece v. Galloway is a case before the United States Supreme Court on the religious neutrality of state organs in the USA, in particular the question of whether opening a city council meeting with a (mostly Christian) prayer violates the state's duty of neutrality.
background
In the City Hall of the City of Greece, New York , it was common practice to open sessions with a - mostly Christian - prayer, with clergy of other religions also occasionally being allowed to offer prayers. According to the city, participation in the prayer was not necessary or compulsory for anyone. A group of atheistic and Jewish citizens then sued the city for violating the United States' constitutional rule of religious neutrality ( Establishment Clause ).
judgment
The court confirmed in a 5-4 decision (i.e. five judges voted for the decision, four against) the legitimacy of the holding of religious prayers, even if these were mainly Christian in nature and did not include all possible religious communities (which was also due to the large number of existing religions would be difficult to do). Worship, especially Christian worship, would be in the tradition of the United States. As long as no one is forced to participate or has to accept specific disadvantages, predominantly Christian prayer ceremonies for the opening of council meetings are therefore also legitimate.
Trivia
At the hearing, constitutional judge Antonin Scalia illustrated the problem of the existence of a large number of religions and the impracticability of including all of them, to everyone's amusement, with the question of whether devil worshipers should also be given the opportunity, at least now and then, to open a prayer to hold a city council meeting.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Washington Post: Supreme Court approves sectarian prayer at public meetings , accessed July 6, 2017.