Legislative Prayer Argued Before Federal Appeals Court

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments yesterday in the battle over prayer in the state House of Representatives. Lawyers for House Speaker Brian Bosma and lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice urged a three-judge panel in Chicago to overturn a lower court ruling that prohibits the House from opening its daily business with sectarian prayers. A lawyer for the ACLU of Indiana argued that sectarian legislative prayers violate the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state.