Prayer in the Public Square: Town of Greece v. Galloway Decided - Podcast
Religious Liberties Practice Group Podcast
Religious Liberties Practice Group Podcast
On May 5, 2014, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway, overturning a 2nd Circuit decision that held that a legislative prayer practice violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Court held that “[l]egislative prayer, while religious in nature, has long been understood as compatible with the Establishment Clause,” and that the “[r]espondents’ insistence on nonsectarian prayer is not consistent with this tradition.” Our expert, Christian Legal Society Senior Counsel Kim Colby, offered her analysis of the implications of the decision for religious liberty jurisprudence.
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Of Counsel, Christian Legal Society's Center for Law & Religious Freedom
Kim Colby has worked for Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in several appellate cases, including two cases heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. In 1984, she assisted in congressional passage of the Equal Access Act, 20 U.S.C. § 4071, et seq., which protects the right of secondary school students to meet for prayer and Bible study on campus. Ms. Colby has prepared several CLS publications addressing issues about religious expression in public schools, including released time programs, implementation of the Equal Access Act, and teachers’ religious expression.
Ms. Colby graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois with a major in American History and a particular interest in slavery in colonial North America.