Rowan County in NC was recently sued by the ACLU for having Christian prayers opening public government meetings, to which they responded by introducing a strange resolution to vote into law. It states that the US Congress cannot pass any laws respecting or prohibiting the free exercise of religion because of the first amendment of the US Constitution; but that the individual state governments are not held by this prohibition and therefore can make laws promoting a specific religion; and any powers not delineated to the Federal government are reserved to the states, therefore the federal government has no authority to prohibit any laws promoting a religion which the states make! The county representatives attempted to make this lawsuit illegal, by arguing that when state law violates constitutional law, the federal government has no authority against it. This was an argument resulting in, and settled by, the Civil war and the resulting fourteenth amendment, making state constitutions subject to federal requirements.
After a firestorm of criticism, the sponsors backed down, apologized, said they do not favor a state religion, and the April 1st measure was not voted on.
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