In The Satanic Temple, Inc. v. City of Scottsdale, (9th Cir., May 19, 2021), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an Arizona federal district court's dismissal of a religious discrimination suit by The Satanic Temple. TST sued after it was not permitted to give a religious invocation at a city council meeting. The district court concluded that the decision was based on a policy that only allowed organizations with substantial ties to the city to deliver invocations. According to the Court of Appeals:
After weighing the credibility of the witnesses, the district court properly concluded that TST had failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that TST’s religious beliefs were a factor, let alone a substantial motivating factor, in Biesemeyer’s decision not to approve TST to give a legislative prayer.
Friendly Atheist blog discusses the case.
