The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling declaring that a California school board violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution by presenting predominantly Christian prayers during public meetings. “The policy and practice of prayer at Chino Valley Board meetings violates the Establishment Clause. The scope of injunctive relief is appropriate because it merely
prohibits governmental action that violates the Constitution and does not infringe upon constitutional rights,” wrote a unanimous three-judge panel, consisting of Judges M. Margaret McKeown, Kim McLane Wardlaw and Wiley Y. Daniel. All three judges were appointed to the bench by then-President Bill Clinton. The ruling leaves in place an injunction prohibiting the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education “from conducting, permitting or otherwise endorsing school-sponsored prayer in board meetings.” READ MORE