CA city orders police, fire chaplains not to conclude invocations with ‘in Jesus’ name’ or risk being terminated

CARLSBAD, CA – First Liberty reports that the city manager, Scott Chadwick, has ordered the chaplains for the city’s fire and police departments not to conclude prayers by saying “in Jesus’ name.”

JC Cooper is a local pastor who has served as a volunteer police chaplain for the city’s police department for six years. His father, Denny Cooper, has served in a similar role for the Carlsbad Fire Department for 18 years.

According to First Liberty, the two chaplains “provide support, encouragement, and prayer to first responders as they face traumatic situations. Recently, Pastor JC Cooper was asked to give the invocation at the police department’s award ceremony. As he has always done, the pastor concluded his prayer “consistent with his long-held beliefs, ‘in Jesus’ name.’”

That apparently did not sit well with Chadwick, who told Pastor Cooper that he could no longer use “in Jesus’ name” from his invocations, he would be subject to discipline. He was told that he could use any other name in place of God, however he could not use the Son of God, Jesus.

The policy appears to stem from a decision made in 2023, when the city council voted to discontinue the pre-meeting invocations that had been a part of their meetings since at least the 1950s, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

As is typical, a number of individuals spoke out in support of the decision to eliminate the invocation from council meetings, citing the ill-understood so-called “separation of church and state,” which appears nowhere in the First Amendment.

In supporting the continuation of an invocation, former city council member Mark Packard dismissed First Amendment concerns.

“This would be a return to the good values that we have had for so long in Carlsbad,” said Packard, noting that the Congress starts each legislative session with an invocation and reminding members that courts have ruled such readings are not a violation of the so-called “separation of church and state.”

In attempting to justify his muzzle on the two emergency services chaplains, Chadwick claimed that praying in Jesus’ name “constituted harassment of non-Christians and created a hostile work environment.”

First LIberty’s Legal Counsel Kayla Toney inferred Chadwick’s analysis was flawed, according to the Christian Post.

“This is not a true or accurate understanding of the law, which has always protected the prayers and expressions of religious Americans,” she said. “Ironically, the city manager’s order has created a hostile environment for the Chaplains and many other people of faith living in Carlsbad.”

Toney explained that the Supreme Court had upheld the right of city officials to have religious invocations at their meetings.

“In Kennedy v Bremerton, the Supreme Court overruled the ‘Lemon Test’ which was used to purge expressions of faith from public life,” Toney said.

“Now the Court looks to history and tradition, and our nation has a long tradition of public prayers by chaplains according to their sincere religious beliefs. So there’s a lot of work left to do, but also good reason for hope.”

In a 2014 Supreme Court decision, the high court ruled 5-4 in Town of Greece v. Galloway that a New York town could use ministers to pray Christian invocations as part of their official meetings.”

In addressing the Carlsbad mandate, First Legal wrote:

“Because the chaplains cannot in good conscience erase the name of Jesus from their prayers, this order deprives first responders of the solace and spiritual strength that the Chaplains’ volunteer ministry has provided for nearly two decades,” the letter reads.

“Therefore, we urge the City Council to return to its longstanding practice of inviting the Chaplains to pray freely in accordance with their sincere religious beliefs.”

First Liberty said the city’s decision “stems from a misunderstanding about the law and Supreme Court precedent,” and “has offered to assist the City in developing a constitutionally appropriate chaplain policy.” And they are willing to do so free of charge.

They concluded that the censoring of city chaplains “betrays the history and traditions of our country,” and instead they “should instead follow the Supreme Court’s clear statements with respect to prayer and allow them to pray according to their sincere religious beliefs.”