Texas

Believing that prayer is the only way to solve America's problems, Texas Gov. and potential GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry is inviting all U.S. governors and Christian leaders to join a prayer rally in Houston later this summer.

Organizers of The Response expect thousands to gather on August 6 at Reliant Stadium for the daylong prayer and fasting event.

"Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy," Perry states on the event's website. more >>

The graduation ceremony at Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas, on Saturday was filled with prayers and was likened to a revival meeting.

The crowd applauded after speakers said “Amen,” a word that was prohibited until the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals late Friday granted an emergency appeal to allow prayer at the commencement ceremony.

“The judge of all judges commands us to pray,” said Rep. John V. Garza (R-San Antonio), according to The San Antonio Express-News. “I still cringe thinking some left group would complain or file a lawsuit … I thank God that all is well this evening and none of us will be thrown in jail.” more >>

Medina Valley High School Valedictorian Angela Hildenbrand in Texas can pray at her graduation ceremony on Saturday after a federal appeals court granted an emergency appeal late Friday.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery’s ruling that banned an official invocation, benediction, or any message that can be considered a prayer at Medina Valley School District’s commencement ceremonies.

“We are not persuaded that plaintiffs have shown that they are substantially likely to prevail on the merits, particularly on the issue that the individual prayers or other remarks to be given by students at graduation are, in fact, school sponsored," wrote the 5th Circuit Court. more >>

Texas Governor Rick Perry on Friday criticized a federal judge’s decision to ban prayer at a high school graduation ceremony, calling the ruling “reprehensible.”

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled on Tuesday that the Medina Valley School District’s graduation ceremonies cannot have an invocation or benediction. Also, while individuals can express their religious beliefs, they are prohibited from calling the crowd to pray or deliver a message that can be considered a prayer.

Perry and opponents of the judge’s ruling argue that the ban violates students’ First Amendment rights to freely express their religious beliefs. The Texas governor even pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court has maintained that the U.S. Congress can begin every day with prayer. more >>

A Texas valedictorian is fighting to appeal a court’s ban on prayers at graduation ceremonies, with her own being this Saturday.

Angela Hildenbrand, the valedictorian of Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas, is fighting U.S. District Judge Fred Biery’s ruling on Tuesday that the Medina Valley School District’s graduation ceremonies cannot have an invocation or benediction. Biery ruled that students can express their religious beliefs in speeches, but cannot call the crowd to pray or deliver a message considered a prayer.

Dallas-based Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of Hildenbrand in hopes that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will overturn Judge Biery’s ruling. The Medina Valley Independent School District also appealed Thursday, seeking an emergency order to overturn Biery’s ban by Saturday’s commencement. more >>

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is joining a local school district's appeal to allow a Castroville high school to hold public prayer at a Saturday graduation ceremony.

Abbott says a recent ruling banning Medina Valley High School students from calling for prayer during their commencement speeches is unconstitutional and is filing an amicus brief supporting the school district's appeal.

"The last thing these students should have done is to have ripped out from under them their ability to participate in a ceremony they've been expecting for the last four years," he said. more >>