| Town of Greece v. Galloway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued November 6, 2013 Decided May 5, 2014 | |
| Full case name | Town of Greece, New York v. Susan Galloway, et al. |
| Docket no. | 12-696 |
| Citations | 572 U.S. 565 (more) 134 S. Ct. 1811; 188 L. Ed. 2d 835 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Galloway v. Town of Greece, 732 F. Supp. 2d 195 (W.D.N.Y. 2010); reversed, 681 F.3d 20 (2d Cir. 2012); cert. granted, 569 U.S. 993 (2013). |
| Holding | |
| The town of Greece does not violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause by opening its meetings with sectarian[1] prayer that comports with America's tradition and doesn't coerce participation by nonadherents. The judgment of the Second Circuit is reversed. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kennedy (all but Part II-B), joined by Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito |
| Plurality | Kennedy (Part II-B), joined by Roberts, Alito |
| Concurrence | Alito, joined by Scalia |
| Concurrence | Thomas (in part), joined by Scalia (Part II) |
| Dissent | Breyer |
| Dissent | Kagan, joined by Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. I | |
Town of Greece v. Galloway, 572 U.S. 565 (2014), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the court decided that the Town of Greece, New York may permit volunteer chaplains to open each legislative session with a prayer.[2][3] The plaintiffs were Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State.[4] They argue that the prayers violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled against the town,[5] and on May 20, 2013 the Supreme Court agreed to rule on the issue.[6] On May 5, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in favor of the Town of Greece, holding that the town's practice of beginning legislative sessions with prayer did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.[7]
- ^ Lauren Markoe; Cathy Lynn Grossman (May 5, 2014). "Supreme Court approves sectarian prayer at public meetings". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ Town of Greece v. Galloway, No. 12-696, 572 U.S. 565 (2014).
- ^ Liptak, Adam (May 5, 2014). "Town Meetings Can Have Prayer, Justices Decide". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ^ Stohr, Greg (July 26, 2013). "'Let Us Pray' Before Town Council Becomes High Court Case". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ^ Galloway v. Town of Greece, 681 F.3d 20 (2d Cir. 2012).
- ^ Liptak, Adam (May 20, 2013). "Justices Take Case on Prayer at Town Board Meetings, and a Patent Dispute". New York Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ^ Adler, Jonathan H. (May 6, 2014). "Breaking — Supreme Court upholds legislative prayer in Town of Greece v. Galloway". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.