Federal Appeals Court Will Consider Rowan County Prayer Case

A federal appeals court is considering a controversial case Wednesday surrounding the use of prayer in government meetings. In Rowan County, southwest of the Triad, commissioners are asking a judge to overturn a ruling that the county violated the Constitution. At issue is how often Christian prayer can be used.

The ACLU of North Carolina sued Rowan County in 2013, and challenged the commissioners' prayer practice on behalf of several residents. It claims that over a six-year period, more than 97 percent of the prayers were Christian.

In May, a federal judge ruled that local officials broke the law, which separates church and state.  The Rowan County Board of Commissioners argues that this prohibits their freedom of speech.

The case marks the first time a federal appeals court has considered how local councils conduct prayers since 2014.  That's when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a New York town's use of predominantly Christian invocations at its meetings.

The appeals court in Richmond is expected to issue a written ruling sometime after this week's hearing.

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

*You can follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news