Posted on 07/02/2005 2:28:50 AM PDT by FeeinTennessee
Town won't put 'Jesus' in prayers Wiccan's suit to keep words out of Great Falls council's pre-meeting prayer upheld
By Andrew Dys The Herald
The town of Great Falls lost its four-year legal battle to keep the name "Jesus Christ" in its council meeting prayers Tuesday. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Chester County town's appeal of a lower court decision that it improperly favored one faith with its prayers.
The decision ends an often contentious case that pitted the Town Council against a resident who is a Wiccan high priestess.
"This sends a message that this behavior is unacceptable," said Darla Wynne, whose 2001 lawsuit started the legal battle. Wynne practices Wicca, a nature-based religion based on ancient Western European and pre-Christian beliefs.
She said her victory made her feel a sense of accomplishment for the "little guy." Wynne was opposed by some religious leaders and the state's attorney general during her legal fight.
The town's lawyer, Michael Hemlepp, said he will advise Great Falls officials to "obey the law."
The council has not mentioned Jesus in prayers after a 2003 ruling in Wynne's favor, said Town Councilman J.C. Broom, who usually leads the prayers before meetings.
"The people down here wanted us to continue the fight," Broom said. "Even the president's inauguration prayer mentioned Jesus. I'm terribly disappointed."
Emotional advocates on both sides of the issue seized on Wynne's lawsuit to fuel ongoing national debate over the separation of church and state.
The American Civil Liberties Union, American Jewish Congress and Americans for the Separation of Church and State all sided with Wynne, while the S.C. Attorney General's office and others sided with Great Falls.
Many in the town of about 2,200 signed petitions and attended meetings urging the council to go all the way to the Supreme Court.
"We have done what the majority of people wanted us to do," said Great Falls Mayor H.C. "Speedy" Starnes. "I think the town was solid behind us."
Ruling applies to large area
The legal ramifications go beyond Great Falls: The decision of the lower court, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, applies to both Carolinas and Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
"The court in this case was fairly clear this woman's freedom was being trampled by a legislative body," said Andrew Siegel, a University of South Carolina law professor and expert on Constitutional law. "They actively punished her and denied her full access to government because she dared stand up to them."
Towns or boards who now invoke the name Jesus Christ in prayers would violate a court order and "would do so at their own peril," said Herbert Buhl III, Wynne's lawyer.
The Rev. Mike Sollers, pastor at Evangel Temple Assembly of God church in Great Falls, called the decision by the Supreme Court not to hear the case "a sad day in America."
Sollers said many in the small town filled with mainly Christians opposed Wynne's lawsuit. Wynne sued "for the purpose of stirring things up," Sollers said. "The idea that she did this for the town is absurd and ridiculous."
S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster wrote to the Supreme Court earlier this year that Jesus has been mentioned in public prayers in South Carolinian since the state's infancy. In a statement Tuesday, McMaster said he was disappointed by the decision and hoped future "members of the federal judiciary will see things differently."
Buhl said the Attorney General's office decision to jump into the Great Falls legal fray was "for political reasons -- to look like they were friends of Jesus."
Great Falls also must pay Wynne more than $40,000 in legal fees, Buhl said.
"We'll have to find out some way to pay them," Starnes said.
Wynne has said that since the controversy began she has been the target of harassment, vandalism and violence. She vowed to stay in Great Falls and to continue to attend council meetings. The next meeting is July 18.
"I know they are trying to run me out of town, but I'm not going anywhere," Wynne said.
HUH?????
Check post #20!
Pretty retarded post. Welcome to FreeRepublic.
May your incuns turn south, may your herbs go sour, and may your Book of Shadows tear its pages.
May your athame cut your fingers to shreds.
I saw him, he was quite the idiot.
Hi Darks!
IAMFREE smells funy to me!
What do you think?
WAS is the operative word.LOL.
Yeah, he was a troll, and an odd one at that.
Yep!
LOL!
:)
BTW, Darks.
Thanks for sharing the trick about swapping out the number of a deleted post.
Didn't know how to do that before you told us how the other day.
Thank you!
Welcome!
I will have to apologise for what I said to him, that was rather.. rude of me.
I wouldn't apologise to that twit.
He's whiny, insecure, intollerant and he didn't REALLY read what I said.
Heck, if he knew more about me and MY past, he'd wanna get cozy with me and borrow some books.
And I wouldn't LET him. Dealt with that type before.
Well, yeah.
You have a point.
*sigh*
Did you hear about Scotty?
:-(
I agree 100%!
Yes.
Saw three threads about it.
:(
Thanks, Mrs. N!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.