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Article: Sectarian Prayers Before City Council Meetings Banned By Calif. Court.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Church & State
- Article date:
- January 1, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Burbank City Council's practice of opening some meetings with sectarian prayer violates the separation of church and state, a state court in California has ruled.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alexander Williams III ruled Nov. 23 that the council's practice of using invocational prayers that refer to Jesus Christ violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Williams did not rule that the council must terminate all prayers, only that it must advise guest ministers that sectarian invocations are not permitted. "The court fully understands the reluctance of the City Council and the Burbank Ministerial Association to dictate the content of ...