Sonja Shaw Fights for Opening Prayers at Board Meetings

Chino Valley Unified School District School Board President Sonja Shaw is striving to reinstate opening prayers at board meetings, which are currently prohibited by a 2018 court injunction stemming from a lawsuit by the Freedom from Religion Foundation that claimed such practices violate the First Amendment.

Shaw, supported by the Advocates for Faith and Freedom, argues that the injunction is outdated, referencing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that allows religious practices consistent with historical traditions. In a lawsuit filed last July, Shaw’s team claimed that prayers have a long-standing place in American history and help to solemnize meetings. However, Judge Jesus Bernal upheld the injunction, leading Shaw’s team to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court.

Shaw is determined to fight this ruling, highlighting that other government bodies can have invocations. Joel Oster, a lawyer with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, insisted that opening meetings with prayer does not constitute an establishment of religion and criticized the previous ruling for disregarding the Supreme Court’s new standard. The appeal is ongoing, and updates will follow.