news-record.com

We're running a story on prayer in Guilford County Board of Commissioners meetings, given that the issue is winding through District Court for Forsyth County commissioners.

From the Winston Salem Journal:

Magistrate Judge P. Trevor Sharp made the recommendation to U.S. District Court, which will rule on an issue that surfaced more than two years ago after several people filed a lawsuit against the county.

If the court upholds Sharp's recommendation, it would issue an injunction to prevent sectarian prayer.

Sharp rejected the county's argument that its policy of allowing clergy to give any kind of prayer on a first-come, first-served basis is fair.

Sharp found that the "overwhelming frequency" of references to "Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ or Savior" in the prayers at commissioners' meetings indicates that the board demonstrates a "preference for Christianity over other religions by the government."

The magistrate judge's recommendation doesn't end the lawsuit, which was filed in March 2007. The county has until Nov. 27 to file an objection to Sharp's recommendation. Chief District Court Judge James A. Beaty Jr. would issue the actual ruling.

 

We spoke with the ACLU today, which has a copy of the Magistrate's opinion on their home page.

As for here, Greensboro has a moment of silence before meetings and High Point has a non-sectarian policy. Prayers before Guilford County can often include sectarian comments, usually Christian comments - which you can see yourself in the video meetings.

When we spoke to Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin "Skip" Alston, he said the he doesn't see a policy change ahead for the county.

"I don't like the moment of silence or anything of that nature," he said. "I like to pray before meetings."