HOUSTON (AP) _ A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to stop Gov. Rick Perry from sponsoring a national day of prayer and fasting.
U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller on Thursday ruled that the group of atheists and agnostics that filed the suit, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, did not have standing to sue.
The plaintiffs argued that Perry’s day of prayer and fasting would violate the constitution. The event, called The Response, is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Perry defended the event, comparing it to President Barack Obama’s participation in the National Day of Prayer. He said “my prayer is that the courts will find that the First Amendment is still applicable to the governor.”
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)