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Government Will Appeal Decision Striking Down National Day of Prayer

By Howard M. Friedman

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Notice of Appeal to the 7th Circuit in Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Obama. According to the AP, the United states will appeal both last week's decision finding that the statute creating the National Day of Prayer violates the Establishment Clause (see prior posting), but also the court's decision last month holding that plaintiffs had standing to bring the challenge. (See prior posting.)

Meanwhile, according to AOL News, the Pentagon Chaplain's Office yesterday withdrew its invitation to Franklin Graham, honorary chairman of this year's National Day of Prayer Task Force, who had originally been invited to speak at the Pentagon's special prayer service scheduled for May 6. The move came after complaints surfaced about Graham's previous references to Islam as an "evil and wicked" religion. (See prior posting.)

Full post as published by Religion Clause on April 23, 2010 (boomark / email).