N.C. county commissioners demanded Christian-only invocations, now they have to pay the ACLU $285K

[Soph0571]

After losing a lawsuit over Christian prayer at the start of meetings, Rowan County commissioners will have to pay the ACLU $285,000 to cover legal fees, the Salisbury Post reports.

The ACLU represented Rowan County residents Nan Lund, Liesa Montag-Siegel and Robert Voelker in their lawsuit targeting the commissioners’ prayer practices that spanned from 2007 to 2013.

Last year, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal offered by the commissioners that challenged an earlier decision by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that said their prayer practices were a violation of the separation between church and state. The commissioners were originally sued in 2013 by the three ACLU-represented county residents who said the county was using “coercive” practices when opening meetings with Christian prayers.

http://deadstate.org/n-c-county-commissioners-demanded-christian-only-invocations-now-they-have-to-pay-the-aclu-285k/

And yet they still will not admit that they were wrong

[Mariana]

1. In their minds, they did a good and righteous thing

and are being persecuted for it.

[littlemissmartypants]

2. persecuted is their favorite word.

This is a delicious victory. I am uncomfortable with this prayer thing at public meetings, it smacks of indoctrination and is certainly discriminatory.