Gov. Bill Ritter did nothing unconstitutional when he issued proclamations recognizing the National Day of Prayer, a Denver judge ruled Thursday.
District Judge R. Michael Mullins dismissed arguments by the Freedom From Religion Foundation that Ritter’s proclamations are a state endorsement of religion, a violation of the Colorado Constitution’s religious freedom clause.
The proclamations don’t have the force of law, Mullins said. They simply assert individuals’ right to practice religion, he said.
“Of course I think this judge is very, very wrong,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which supports separation of church and state.
Gaylor noted that the foundation won a similar lawsuit this year against the federal government.
The Obama administration is appealing the decision by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in Wisconsin that the national prayer day, established as the first Thursday in May, is an unconstitutional call to religious action.
Gaylor said her group sued the state of Colorado in 2008 because the National Day of Prayer Task Force is based in Colorado Springs. Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Founder James Dobson, is the chairwoman.
