ACLU Sues N.J. Town Over Lord’s Prayer
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against a New Jersey town on behalf of a former Jewish employee.
The suit against Point Pleasant Beach contends that the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer at municipal council meetings, which the council has done since the mid-1990s, is unconstitutional because it shows preference for a particular religion, according to reports.
The former employee, who was unnamed in reports about the suit, said the prayer made her feel uncomfortable.
Kevin Riordan, an attorney for Point Pleasant Beach, said there was no intention to discriminate against any one religion and that no one had complained before.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
