Washington Times - ACLJ Represents 67 Members of Congress in National Day of Prayer Brief

The following excerpt is taken from Inside the Beltway by Jennifer Harper which appeared in the Washington Times.

The Big Man Upstairs has friends in Congress. Sixty-seven lawmakers, in fact, are urging the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer, and quash a federal district court in Wisconsin that ruled the event "violated the Establishment Clause."

Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas, James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Roger Wicker of Mississippi are among those represented by an amicus brief filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, which asserts that the day has a "historic pedigree." Republican Reps. J. Randy Forbes of Virginia, Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota, Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland and Steve King of Iowa are among the many on the House side.

"This is a case where the law and history are very clear in recognizing the fact that a day set aside to pray for our country is not only a time-honored tradition, but one that is consistent with the First Amendment," said their chief counsel Jay Sekulow. "Many members of Congress understand that the National Day of Prayer is a constitutional reflection of our history - our heritage. This tradition is supported by Supreme Court precedent and numerous acts of Congress. The 7th Circuit has an important opportunity to correct this badly flawed lower court decision."