Chicago, Ill., Oct 31, 2007 / 08:25 am
A 14-year-old girl and her outspoken atheist father have filed a federal lawsuit Friday challenging an Illinois law requiring a brief period of prayer or reflective silence at the start of the day, the Associated Press reports.
Dawn Sherman, a high school freshman, and her father Robert Sherman, a radio talk show host, are asking the court to rule the law unconstitutional. Their attorney Gregory Kulis claimed the law attempts to inject religion into the public schools and is a violation of the First Amendment. The suit also seeks a temporary restraining order preventing schools from following the law until the case is decided.
“What we object to is Christians passing a law that requires the public school teacher to stop teaching during instructional time, paid for by the taxpayers, so that Christians can pray," Mr. Sherman said.
The Illinois law was initially vetoed by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who doubted its constitutionality. Lawmakers overrode the veto this month.
Mr. Sherman has in the past filed various lawsuits seeking to remove religious symbols from city seals and to ban Boy Scout meetings at public schools.