The Supreme Court of Canada [official website] ruled [judgment, PDF] unanimously Wednesday that elected officials do not have the right to open municipal council meetings with a prayer. The country’s top court found [National Post report] that reciting a Catholic prayer at council meetings is unconstitutional and infringes on freedom of conscience and religion. Council meetings usually start with a short two-line prayer that begins “Almighty God.” After a moment of silence, “O Canada” is sung, and the meeting begins. The Supreme Court said the government must remain neutral on matters of religion and may neither favor nor hinder any particular belief. The case dates back to 2007 when Alain Simoneau, an atheist and resident of Saguenay, Quebec, complained about councillors praying in public at city hall. The Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear the case last year.

Public prayer also continues to be a hotly debated issue in the US. Last April the US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [JURIST report] in Town of Greece v. Galloway [SCOTUSblog backgrounder] that the practice of opening town meetings with a prayer does not violate the Establishment Clause [JURIST backgrounder] of the First Amendment. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled [JURIST report] in 2012 that the New York town’s practice amounted to an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. Last April Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe [official website] vetoed a bill [JURIST report] that would have codified the rights of students to pray voluntarily in school and at school events. Also, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld [JURIST report] a regulation by the New York City Board of Education last April banning religious groups from holding worship services in school buildings. Earlier that same week Mississippi lawmakers passed [JURIST report] the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act [SB 2681, PDF], which prevented the state from taking any action that “burdens” a citizen’s right to religious exercise.