Hudson Statement on Court Ruling in Rowan Prayer Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today,U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Rowan County in Lund v. Rowan County:

In August 2015, Rep. Hudson led seventeen bipartisan Members of Congress to file an amicus brief before the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Lund v. Rowan County defending the tradition of prayer before a legislative session. Like many legislative bodies in the United States – including the U.S. House of Representatives – the Board of Commissioners in Rowan County, N.C., opened its meetings with an invocation for years. In 2013, however, three plaintiffs sued in federal district court to enjoin the board’s prayer practice.

Although the Supreme Court held recently, in Town of Greece v. Galloway, that a town does not create an impermissible establishment of religion by opening its board meetings with faith-specific prayer, the district court struck down Rowan County’s prayer practice because the commissioners themselves delivered the prayers. Rowan County appealed to the Fourth Circuit. Our country enjoys an extensive tradition of elected officials making public, religious statements that invite—but do not coerce—private citizens to participate.

Rep. Hudson was joined by: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12), Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Rep. George Holding (NC-13), Rep. Walter Jones (NC-03), Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Former Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Rep. Mark Meadows (NC-11), Rep. Robert Pittenger (NC-09), Rep. David Rouzer (NC-07), Rep. Mark Walker (NC-06), Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01), Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC-04), Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-06).

He and his colleagues filed a supplemental amicus brief on December 22, 2016 once the Fourth Circuit issued an order granting a rehearing en banc. He was joined by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Rep. George Holding (NC-13), Rep. Walter Jones (NC-03), Former Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Rep. Mark Meadows (NC-11), Rep. Robert Pittenger (NC-09), Rep. David Rouzer (NC-07), Rep. Mark Walker (NC-06), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), Sen. James Risch (R-ID), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-06).