Supreme Court Skips Utah Legal Dispute Over `Political' Prayer.

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a Utah man's lawsuit challenging prayers before city council meetings.

The court without comment on March 29 turned down a further appeal of the case. The legal challenge was brought by Tom Snyder, who wanted to protest the city council's practice of opening its sessions with prayer by reading his own unorthodox version of an invocation.

Snyder's prayer was addressed to, "Our mother, who art in heaven -- if indeed there is a heaven and if there is a god that takes a woman's form." It asked "that you deliver us from the evil of forced religious worship" and implored that "the people of the state of Utah will some day learn the wisdom of the separation of church and state."

Snyder sued after town officials refused to !et him read the prayer. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later sided with the city, saying Snyder's prayer was really a "political harangue" that fell outside this nation's "long-accepted genre of legislative prayer."

In its ruling, the appeals court gave its blessing to certain types of legislative prayer, especially those that involve "nonsectarian requests for wisdom and solemnity, as well as calls for divine blessing on the work of the legislative body." (Snyder v. Murray City)

In other high court news:

* The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a Quaker who says paying taxes to support the military infringes on her freedom of religion. Priscilla M. Lippincott Adams of Philadelphia has refused to pay taxes, since some of the money goes to the military budget. She said she would pay if the money were directed to non-military uses.

In her defense, Adams cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which still applies to the federal government. In March the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the RFRA is still binding on the federal government but rejected Adams' argument that her religious rights were violated.

* The high court has agreed to hear a dispute from Wisconsin centering on mandatory student activity fees. Conservative students have sued the University of Wisconsin, arguing that they object to their money being given to liberal campus organizations. Although student activity fees are not the same as a tax, Americans United is watching the case, because a broad ruling could have implications for the voucher issue. (Board of Regents of University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth)