An athiest lost his bid Wednesday to have the Supreme Court bar the saying of a prayer at President Bush's innaguration. Chief justice William H. Rehnquist denied Michael Newdow's claim that a prayer at Thurdday's ceremony would violate the Constitution by forcing him to accept unwanted religious beliefs.
In doing so, Rehnquist also rejected Newdow's request to excuse himself fromt he case because he is shceduled to swear in Bush. Newdow had argued that REhnquist had become a willing fixture in a government ceremony "infused with sectarian Christian religion" and thus had a conflict of interest
Two lower courts had rejected Newdow's request to ban the prayer, suggesting he couldn't show actual injury hearing it.
Attorneys representing Bush and his inagural committee had argued that prayers have been widely accepted at inagurals for more than 200 years and that Bush's decision to have a minister recite the invocation was a personal choice the court had no power to prevent.
www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,144856,00.html
In doing so, Rehnquist also rejected Newdow's request to excuse himself fromt he case because he is shceduled to swear in Bush. Newdow had argued that REhnquist had become a willing fixture in a government ceremony "infused with sectarian Christian religion" and thus had a conflict of interest
Two lower courts had rejected Newdow's request to ban the prayer, suggesting he couldn't show actual injury hearing it.
Attorneys representing Bush and his inagural committee had argued that prayers have been widely accepted at inagurals for more than 200 years and that Bush's decision to have a minister recite the invocation was a personal choice the court had no power to prevent.
www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,144856,00.html
