County Commissioners Will Lead Prayer Instead of Ministers

Buncombe County, North Carolina county commissioners have been discussing with their county attorney the implications of a federal court decision ruling that the invocation policy in another North Carolina county violates the Establishment Clause. Last month, a federal district court held that Forsyth County's policy as implemented advances one particular faith. (See prior posting.) Now, according to yesterday's Asheville Citizen-Times, Buncombe County will stop inviting ministers to deliver an invocation, and instead the county commissioners themselves will offer the opening prayer at each commission meeting.