Federal Judge Dismisses Constitutional Challenge to Hamilton Co. Commission Prayer

Chattanooga (WDEF) – U.S. Federal Judge Harry Mattice issues his ruling on the challenge to the prayers that open Hamilton County commission meetings.

Thomas Joseph Coleman filed suit over being forced to leave a commission meeting in July of 2012 in which he was complaining about he was not allowed to deliver the regular prayer that opens meetings.

The suit challenges the constitutionality of Hamilton County’s prayer rules.

Judge Mattice rejected that constitutional challenge with prejudice.

But he will allow Coleman’s complaint about how he was ejected to go to trial.

The judge concludes in his ruling "And so, like the world, this lawsuit ends not with a bang but a whimper.18 What began as a case with the potential for significant constitutional implications in the area of Establishment Clause jurisprudence ends as a run-of-the-mill seizure case of little or no precedential significance."

But this is not the final word on the case.

The plaintiffs have promised to appeal the case as high as the Supreme Court.