Prayer Case Moved Back To Forefront Aclu May Drop Suit Unless Madison Parents Come Forward

Unless the unnamed plaintiffs in the Madison graduation prayer lawsuit are willing to reveal their names to the school district’s lawyers, the case will be dismissed, American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Stephen Pevar says.

The Madison case was moved back into the forefront this week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a similar case from the Grangeville School District was no longer legally relevant.

But the move by the Supreme Court neither did away with the Madison case nor set any binding legal precedent on whether student-led, student-initiated prayers are constitutional or not.

The two-sentence ruling by the court effectively removed any legal impediment to student-led prayers in the nine Western states covered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But Madison is still being sued over the practice.

Whether the Madison case will continue hinges on whether the two anonymous Madison County families who are suing the district will reveal their names.

Through the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing them, the families said last year they would dismiss the case rather than comply with a judge’s order that says the names must be released. The names are to be released to the school district’s lawyers only, not to the school or any other school officials.

Pevar says he has not talked to his clients but as the case stands now, “we would have to dismiss the case,” if the clients refuse to release their names.