ADF Defends Sectarian Legislative Prayers In Ohio

As previously reported, the Ohio House of Representatives has guidelines calling for invocations offered by invited clergy to be non-denominational, non-sectarian and non-proselytizing. Now at the request of Ohio Rep. Diana M. Fessler, the Alliance Defense Fund (press release) has submitted a memo concluding not only that sectarian invocations are constitutional (so long as government does not exploitatively promote one religion to the exclusion of others), but also that the Ohio House Guidelines for Guest Ministers are unconstitutional because they require clergy to submit their invocations for approval 72 hours in advance. ADF also submitted a model policy on opening invocations that it suggested the Ohio House adopt.