“calling on Americans to pray violates a constitutional ban on government officials endorsing religion.”
No. Here is the text:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”
That’s establishment, not endorsement. A close study of public opinion at the time the amendment passed, I believe, would reveal that this obviously refers to establishing an official state religion. While some specific religion could be suffocating to non-believers, government endorsing religion in general or belief in God in general would not have occured to the average person readingf the amendment back in 1789.
Anyway, whether or not the Constitution intended to block the establishment of A religion instead of religion in general, establishment is the issue, not endorsement. Judges and pundits shrug their shoulders, asking “What constitutes establishment? Who knows?” What if a Congressman says the word “God” on the floor of the House? Has he therein established a religion?
Hell no! Establishment means establishment. If you want a hypothetical example of what would constitute establishment, how about a law that states, “We do hereby establish the religion of Christianity, in all its many forms.” We’ll know it when we see it. This isn’t it.
Ahem, may I presume you meant "federal religion"?
The first amendment exclusively applies to the federal legislature, and mentions no restriction at all on the states.
Not saying there aren't similar clauses in state constitutions or other laws that might apply to state and local governments...its just that, contrary to popular misconception, the first amendment does not.