Justice Department  Files to Reinstate National Day of Prayer

by Evan Perez, The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON, DC - The Obama administration plans to appeal a district judge's ruling declaring unconstitutional the annual National Day of Prayer.

The Justice Department on Thursday filed a formal notice with the US District Court for western Wisconsin that it plans to appeal a ruling earlier this month by federal Judge Barbara Crabb, which found fault with the annual presidential proclamation as established by Congress.

The Justice Department's notice didn't explain any specific reason for the appeal by President Barack Obama, who is named as defendant in the 2008 lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group, which represents agnostics, atheists and others in favor of the separation of church and state, argues that the National Day of Prayer violates the First Amendment's clause barring the establishment of a religion. The White House has argued that the proclamation simply recognizes the traditional role of religion in the US.

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