The most recent meeting of the Town Board here had typical local fare: a new sidewalk proposal, permitting issues and a failed attempt to get a bid on some surplus soil.
Before all of those mundane matters, however, there was one considerably more controversial item on the agenda: a moment of prayer, a practice that has been a religious aperitif to the town’s civic business for more than a decade.
But that could soon change. On Wednesday, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether those prayers ”” almost always delivered by Christian clergy members to the assembled audience ”” violate the First Amendment clause that prohibits the establishment of religion. The court’s ruling, expected next June, could be one of the most significant church-state decisions in 30 years, and could affect the nature of such invocations in municipal meetings nationwide.
In a town of 100,000 people one would think they could have found more than two residents to speak with.
Which town is it, Kendall? I’m curious, since I was born and raised in Oneida County.
“100,000 people” makes me think of Utica, where I was born.
Apologies it has been a long day.
The town is listed as Greece, New York.
It’s a suburb of Rochester, in Monroe County.