Judge Roy Moore & Foundation for Moral Law Welcome Court of Appeals Decision Reversing Ban on Prayer

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and the Foundation for Moral Law hailed the decision issued yesterday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Hinrichs v. Speaker of the House, Indiana General Assembly as a victory in the battle against prayer censorship in the halls of government. The Hinrichs decision reversed an order by a federal district court banning prayers given in the name of Jesus in the Indiana legislature, the result Judge Moore and the Foundation had asked for in its amicus brief filed before the Court--but the Court did so only because the particular plaintiffs in the case did not have legal standing to bring their lawsuit.

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Judge Moore said:

"Thankfully, the Court of Appeals in Hinrichs reversed the absurd prayer censorship order of the lower court, which means the Indiana House of Representatives does not have to tell its invited clergy that the name of Jesus cannot be uttered in their prayers. But because the plaintiffs in this case should never have been able to proceed with this case, the Court of Appeals was not permitted to decide that the Constitution does not censor Christian prayers."

The Hinrichs decision on standing was based in turn on the Supreme Court's recent decision in Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, another case in which Judge Moore and the Foundation filed a legal brief in favor of the prevailing party. The Court in Hein held that taxpayers generally do not have standing to sue to stop an alleged violation of the Establishment Clause just because they do not like it unless there is a specific legislative appropriation of money for the challenged practice. (Click here for more information on the Hein case and legal briefs.) From state legislatures to city council meetings, the issue of official prayer at government meetings is being waged around the country. Judge Moore explained that this fight in Indiana is far from over:

"While the Hinrichs decision is good in that it turns back the agenda of those who want to rid the Indiana House of prayer, those prayers have been left vulnerable to future attack. As President of the Foundation for Moral Law, I urge the Indiana House to exercise and protect freedom in their official prayers and to remain firm in the fight against the prayer censors. This victory reminds us and our legislators that we should never surrender one of our most valuable rights to a false belief that 'they always win.'"

The Foundation for Moral Law, a national non-profit legal organization, is located in Montgomery, Alabama, and is dedicated to restoring the knowledge of God in law and government through litigation relating to moral issues and religious liberty cases and education consisting of forums for pastors, judges, and the general public. For more information about the Foundation for Moral Law, please visit [url=http://www.morallaw.org]http://www.morallaw.org[/url]