Judge Rules: National Day of Prayer Should Receive Fee Waiver

November 14, 2003

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/publiclife/news.aspx?id=12207

On November 14, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "National Day of Prayer events on city property should be treated like those of other groups, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Frank Zapata ruled yesterday that the city’s policy barring organizers of events in direct support of religious organizations from receiving fee waivers granted to other groups was invalid and unconstitutional. In essence, the city’s actions were discriminatory to the religious group, the judge found... The lawsuit was brought in 1997 on behalf of Patricia Gentala, chairwoman of the Tucson National Day of Prayer Committee, and her husband after the city’s Civic Events Fund declined to waive a $340 fee for a prayer rally at the Reid Park Bandshell 'because it was against funding policy.'"