The Supreme Court Prayer vigil organized by city officials City accused of constitutional violation The US Supreme Court refused to hear a Florida city’s bid to avoid a lawsuit accusing it of unconstitutionally endorsing a religion after government officials hosted a prayer vigil following a local shooting. In the case denied Monday, the justices were asked to decide if being offended, either spiritually or emotionally, after observing a religious message is enough to satisfy the requirement for standing to sue. Standing requires plaintiffs to allege an actual or imminent legal harm, or injury. Lucinda Hale and Art Rojas, two atheists who live in Ocala, say the city violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause in holding the prayer vigil after a shooting spree injured several children. The clause bars the government from unduly favoring one religion. Ocala argues Hale and Rojas voluntarily attended the event in 2014 and haven’t suffered the requisite injury to sue. “This Court has never embraced the offended observer theory of standing,” the city said in its petition to the court. Hale and Rojas argue they were invited to attend an event by their own city officials, that the mayor and police chief facilitated and promoted. […]
