Opinion ID: 222596
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Secular Purpose Prong

Text: In applying the purpose [prong], we ask whether government's actual purpose is to endorse or disapprove of religion. Wallace, 472 U.S. at 56, 105 S.Ct. 2479 (internal quotations marks omitted). Under Lemon, if the statute has some secular purpose, then it survives the first prong. Freethought, 334 F.3d at 262 ([T]he purpose prong of Lemon only requires some secular purpose, and not that the purposes ... are exclusively secular.) (quotations omitted). The stated secular purpose, however, must be sincere and not a mere sham. Edwards, 482 U.S. at 586, 107 S.Ct. 2573. The Board argues that the purpose of the Prayer Policy is to solemnify its meetings, and thus that the Government has a secular purpose in promoting prayer. We will not take issue with the appellees' characterization of their policy, which we note is entitled to some deference. Santa Fe, 530 U.S. at 308, 120 S.Ct. 2266. However, even assuming the Board's primary purpose is to solemnify the meetings, we nonetheless hold that the Policy violates the Establishment Clause because, as we determine below, its primary effect is to advance religion and it fosters excessive government entanglement in religion. See Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39, 41, 101 S.Ct. 192, 66 L.Ed.2d 199 (1980) (If a statute violates any of these three principles [of Lemon ], it must be struck down under the Establishment Clause.).