Suit Challenges County Commission Prayers

A lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Tennessee last week seeking to stop the Hamilton County, Tennessee County Commission's practice of opening its meetings with a Christian prayer.  According to last Saturday's Chattanooga Times Free Press,the suit follows a letter sent in May (full text) from the Freedom From Religion Foundation pointing out that every prayer so far at meetings in 2012 has been offered "in Jesus name." The letter asks that prayers before government meetings be discontinued.