By Michelle Mitchell | The Arizona Republic
The U.S. Supreme Court recently considered prayer before government meetings, and its decision may affect how Chandler and other cities handle the issue.
Chandler has a longstanding tradition of an invocation before every city council meeting and study session.
The City Clerk’s Office has a list of local clergy who offer the invocation on an unofficial rotation, City Clerk Marla Paddock said.
“We don’t necessarily do a huge outreach,” but anyone who is interested is welcome to contact the city, Paddock said.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1983 that prayer before government meetings is permissible, but left the specifics open to some interpretation, said Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum.
It is unclear if legislative prayer was upheld because in the particular case it did not promote a particular religion or because in that case the prayer was non-sectarian, Haynes said.
