Amherst County Reexamining How to Handle Prayer

Amherst officials are reexamining how to handle prayer after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Up until last year, the Amherst Town Council had clergy deliver a prayer invocation; but now Council opens its meetings with a moment of silence instead; so too does the Amherst County School Board. But following the high court’s ruling in May the topic of prayer is being revisited. According to the ruling, opening of government meetings with sectarian prayer does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Board of Supervisors uses a non-sectarian prayer.