A judge in Ocean County, New Jersey, has issued an injunction barring Point Pleasant Beach officials from opening council meetings with a prayer. The town had previously agreed to halt their tradition of beginning with The Lord's Prayer, but the ACLU-NJ made the case to Judge Vincent Grasso that the new practice of prayer led by officials also does not pass constitutional muster.
“The policy clearly violated the New Jersey constitution, which obligates the government to not show a preference for one religion over another,” said Jeanne LoCicero, ACLU-NJ Deputy Legal Director, who argued the motion. “We support the right of government officials to pray on their own time, but when they act as the voice of government, they cannot promote their own religious beliefs.”
