TALLAHASSEE — A federal appeals court Thursday will take up a long-running constitutional dispute about a prayer vigil that was backed by the Ocala police chief amid a spate of shootings in the community. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in an appeal of a lower- court ruling that the September 2014 vigil violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. Ocala contends that the event had a secular purpose as police sought community assistance in combating the crimes. A key issue involves the role of then-Chief Greg Graham, who, at least in part, posted information about the vigil on Facebook. “Here, the secular purpose — i.e. to fight crime and catch the culprit — remained clear and understood by all, including the plaintiffs from the first posting on Facebook to the vigil itself,” attorneys for the city wrote in a brief filed at the appeals court. But attorneys for the plaintiffs disputed that it was a secular event and argued that it violated the Establishment Clause, which bars government “establishment” of religion. “Neutrality is the touchstone of any Establishment Clause analysis,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote in a brief. “It […]
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