Attorney General Jackley Joins Amicus to Protect Religious Freedom

Pat Powers

jackleyheader2 Marty JackleyAttorney General Jackley Joins Amicus to Protect Religious  Freedom 

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that South Dakota has joined 12 other State Attorneys General and the Governors of Kentucky and Mississippi in an amicus or “friend of the court” urging the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the religious freedom of students in the Birdville Independent School District (BISD).

“The framers of our South Dakota Constitution opened their sessions with a prayer in 1883, and our highest court has held that this practice may continue with our  legislature and other governmental bodies,” said Jackley. “The student expressions permitted by school board policy are the private speech of the student and prohibiting the students from presenting an invocation of their choice would be a violation of the students’ First Amendment Rights.”

American Humanist Association is challenging the BISD policy allowing volunteer student speakers to express a message of his or her own choosing at the start of     school board meetings. BISD established a policy in March 2015, which allows students to sign up for a random drawing to determined who will speak at the opening of the meeting. The students are responsible for the message and the content, some include religious message in their  remarks.

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14 thoughts on “Attorney General Jackley Joins Amicus to Protect Religious Freedom”

    1. I didn’t think atheists believed in anything so why would they be involved in a religious matter…..

      1. “said Jackley. “The student expressions permitted by school board policy are the private speech of the student and prohibiting the students from presenting an invocation of their choice would be a violation of the students’ First Amendment Rights.”– Why did you not answer the question?

  2. i believe the common accommodation for atheists is to give them time to exit the dais while the prayer is occurring, then allow.time for their return to the dais.

    1. Why should not the ohh soo holy (c)histians instead of flaunting their religion to attempt to impress others in a public building not say their prayers in a closet as their bible instructs them to?— Answer my original question

  3. Why should Christians leave their faith outside the door? I am offended by a lot of what is said in “public” places, so why should we bow to the wishes of the atheists?

    1. Why should atheists, muslims, sikhs, animists, or buddists bow to yours?

      And are you okay opening a public school board meeting with prayers to the five-faced Lord of Parvati? The goddess of the cooling rain? Satan? Unfortunately, it’s all or none. Pick your poison.

    2. Answer my original question…

      “Why should Christians leave their faith outside the door?”— Because the “door” is not at a church.

      “so why should we bow to the wishes of the atheists?”– Who is “we”? Nobody is asking “we” to do anything…Does your religious opinions make “we” in any way superior to those of no faith or other faiths? Does your religious opinions make “we” more American? Do “we” have the right to express their religious opinions in a public place but those others do not?

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