The Defense and Labor departments are facing new lawsuits over their monthly prayer services, this time from a nonprofit that alleges the government is unlawfully withholding records about the planning of the events. Critics charge that the prayer services violate the constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the agencies on Monday, alleging officials have failed to respond to records requests seeking information about the event planning, including details surrounding the costs of the events, invited speakers, and complaints from employees. Under federal law, the agencies were supposed to respond to the records requests within 20 days of the Dec. 19 requests.
“The requested documents will help AU determine whether the departments are upholding their obligation to remain neutral about religious matters and respect the religious freedom of federal workers,” the nonprofit said in a statement announcing the lawsuits.
A spokesperson for the Labor Department did not respond to requests for comment from MS NOW on Monday. The Defense Department referred questions to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began hosting prayer services at the Defense Department last May. Speakers at the monthly events have included far-right pastor Doug Wilson, who has said he believes the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, “was a bad idea” and called for recriminalizing sex between gay people; and evangelist Franklin Graham, who said at the December prayer service that “God also hates” and “God is a God of war.”
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer hosted the first prayer service for her department in December, telling attendees she was inspired after attending one of Hegseth’s events, as MS NOW reported at the time. Two Labor Department employees who watched the livestream of that first prayer service and spoke to MS NOW said it had a narrow scope, with one calling it “100% Judeo-Christian.”
Those employees also said they objected to a rabbi’s remarks criticizing widespread support for gay and transgender people. The rabbi, Yaakov Menken, told MS NOW that he rejected the employees’ description of his comments as hateful.
Since then, Chavez-Deremer has continued hosting the monthly events, according to the legal filing.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is among the groups that have critiqued the monthly prayer services, alleging that they are disrespectful to nonreligious employees and are improper uses of federal office space and resources. The lawsuits are the latest pushback to the Trump administration’s promotion of Christianity within the government, despite the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits the government from establishing an official religion or favoring one religion over another, or any religion over none. In February of last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at “eradicating anti-Christian bias”; the same month, he signed another EO mandating the creation of a White House Faith Office and faith centers across federal agencies. In May, he signed an executive order establishing a 16-member Religious Liberty Commission, the majority of whom have publicly identified as Christian or Jewish. Earlier this month, a group of pastors made headlines when they prayed over Trump in the Oval Office.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky. Recommended
