Trial Challenging Indiana Legislative Invocations Begins

A trial began in federal district court in Indianapolis, Indiana today on a challenge brought by the Indiana Civil Liberties Union to opening sessions of the Indiana General Assembly with prayer. The South Bend Tribune says today that U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton has promised a ruling before Nov. 22, when lawmakers return for a one-day session. In the past, legislative sessions have opened with a prayer from an invited member of the clergy or an elected lawmaker. This suit attempts to prohibit these opening prayers or limit them to a nonsectarian form without reference to specific deities or religious beliefs. The plaintiffs say that legislative prayer is too often marked only by Christian references and beliefs.