Do homework on prayer at meetings

I read with interest the story of Dawn DeSart objecting to an invocation at the start of DuPage County Board meetings. Ms. DeSart is a newly -elected Democrat to the board.

If Ms. DeSart had done a simple Google search, she would have easily found a Supreme Court decision from 2014 "Town of Greece vs. Galloway." The court ruled that such an invocation did not violate the constitution, "the Court held that the Establishment Clause is not violated when a town board begins their sessions with a sectarian prayer, so long as the town does not discriminate against minority faiths in determining who may offer a prayer." As Ms. DeSart should have known, DuPage County Board does not discriminate against minority faiths in determining who may offer a prayer.

Another Supreme Court case from 1983 entitled "Marsh vs. Chambers" also ruled in favor of offering invocations. The court stated, In a 6-3 decision in favor of Marsh. Chief Justice Burger wrote the opinion for the majority. The Chief Justice noted that the position of chaplain has been closely tied to the work of state and federal legislatures. "This unique history leads us to accept the interpretation of the First Amendment draftsmen who saw no real threat to the Establishment Clause arising from a practice of prayer similar to that now challenged."

On top of the Supreme Court rulings above, how could Ms. DeSart not know the U.S. Congress and state legislatures offer invocations all the time? Surprisingly her Democratic colleague, Mary Ozog - her husband an attorney, supported Ms. DeSart.

I am very concerned that Ms. DeSart and Ms. Ozog would be so ill prepared for a board meeting. Was this really the biggest issue they could come up with regarding the County's business?

Kurt Dorr

Naperville