>> susan galloway. >> i am susan galloway. i am one of the plaintiffs. i just want to thank americans united for being our attorneys and representing us. i appreciate the justices hearing this case. i think it is important. i feel the town has aligned itself with christianity by just having christian prayer givers. they have had a couple other people but primarily it is christian. that is very sectarian. as a citizen i felt i was different. and because of my own faith and my own religious beliefs. i'm glad that the supreme court is hearing this. is there anything -- >> what are your religious beliefs? >> i am a jew. >> why did it make you feel uncomfortable? >> i think that when you have people that, first of all, the town, the pastors face the people, not to the government. it is like they are praying over s. i know when i stood then i sat and i have 100 eyes looking at me and questioning what is going on and thinking i am being disrespectful, it does put pressure on you and makes you very uncomfortable. it singles you out. that should not be in my town

>> susan galloway. >> i am susan galloway. i am one of the plaintiffs. i just want to thank americans united for being our attorneys and representing us. i appreciate the justices hearing this case. i think it is important. i feel the town has aligned itself with christianity by just having christian prayer givers. they have had a couple other people but primarily it is christian. that is very sectarian. as a citizen i felt i was different. and because of my own faith and my own religious beliefs. i'm glad that the supreme court is hearing this. is there anything -- >> what are your religious beliefs? >> i am a jew. >> why did it make you feel uncomfortable? >> i think that when you have people that, first of all, the town, the pastors face the people, not to the government. it is like they are praying over us. i know when i stood then i sat and i have 100 eyes looking at me and questioning what is going on and thinking i am being disrespectful, it does put pressure on you and makes you very uncomfortable. it singles you out. that should not be in my tow

the most consistent spectator may be susan galloway, who for years has shown up with her video camera to document the proceedings. attorney khan took the unusual step of including links to galloway's video in the electronic version of the brief she filed with the court, allowing the justices to instantly view what the lower court found to be an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. >> blessed are you who has raised up the lord jesus. >> reporter: that the message is predominantly christian should be of no concern, says supervisor auberger, because anyone can give the prayer and say whatever they please. >> if anyone at any time during my 15-and-a-half years as supervisor were to come and want to be able to offer the prayer, then we would have definitely obliged them. >> reporter: you don't censor or control anything that they say? >> no, absolutely not. >> reporter: what if somebody were to come in and say, "believe in jesus or you're going to burn in hell forever"? >> well, we believe in again diversity to be able to pray, to say the prayer in a manner that that indivi

the most consistent spectator may be susan galloway, who for years has shown up with her video camera to document the proceedings. attorney khan took the unusual step of including links to galloway's video in the electronic version of the brief she filed with the court, allowing the justices to instantly view what the lower court found to be an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. >> blessed are you who has raised up the lord jesus. >> reporter: that the message is predominantly christian should be of no concern, says supervisor auberger, because anyone can give the prayer and say whatever they plplplse. >> if anyone at any time during my 15-and-a-half years as supervisor were to come and want to be able to offer the prayer, then we would have definitely obliged them. >> reporter: you don't censor or control anything that they say? >> no, absolutely not. >> reporter: what if somebody were to come in and say, "believe in jesus or you're going to burn in hell forever"? >> well, we believe in again diversity to be able to pray, to say the prayer in a manner that that indi

>> susan galloway. >> i am susan galloway. i am one of the plaintiffs. i just want to thank americans united for being our attorneys and representing us. i appreciate the justices hearing this case. i think it is important. i feel the town has aligned itself with christianity by just having christian prayer givers. they have had a couple other people but primarily it is christian. that is very sectarian. as a citizen i felt i was different. and because of my own faith and my own religious beliefs. i'm glad that the supreme court is hearing this. is there anything -- >> what are your religious beliefs? >> i am a jew. >> why did it make you feel uncomfortable? >> i think that when you have people that, first of all, the town, the pastors face the people, not to the government. it is like they are praying over us. i know when i stood then i sat and i have 100 eyes looking at me and questioning what is going on and thinking i am being disrespectful, it does put pressure on you and makes you very uncomfortable. it singles you out. that should not be in my tow

justice antoniin scalia, those two plaintiffs who filed the original lawsuit, susan galloway and linda stevens join us. welcome, it's good to see both of you. >> thank you. >> let me start with you susan, what was this that really started this, why did you decide to get involved in this? >> well, i had been going to the board meetings for a reason regarding my public cable access. and the prayers continued to be going on. at all the meetings i attended. >> christian prayers? >> and they were all christian prayers, yes. and i found them, that i did not feel they were appropriate. and i felt it seemed to align the town with christianity. >> but linda don't they open congress with christian prayers sometimes? >> they do. but they have guidelines. pointing out that they should be inclusive and not try to include as many people as possible. unlike the -- what goes on in the greece town hall, with their prayers. >> what goes on there? >> almost exclusively christian prayers. most often, alluding to jesus or the holy spirit, or some aspect of christianity. >> again, i do believe that in many

t the >> susan galloway. >> i am susan galloway. i am one of the plaintiffs. i just want to thank americans united for being our attorneys and representing us. i appreciate the justices hearing this case. i think it is important. the town has aligned itself with christianity by just having christian prayer givers. they have had a couple other people but primarily it is christian. sectarian.ery as a citizen i felt i was different. and because of my own faith and my own religious beliefs. i'm glad that the supreme court is hearing this. is there anything -- >> what are your religious beliefs? >> i am a jew. why did it make you feel uncomfortable? >> i think that when you have people that, first of all, the face the pastors people, not to the government. it is like they are praying over us. satow when i stood then i and i have 100 eyes looking at me and questioning what is going on and thinking i am being disrespectful, it does put pressure on you and makes you very uncomfortable. it singles you out. that should not be in my town government. it should not be anyw

susan galloway is one of the plaintiffs. >> i'd like to see that people feel that they're included in their government and that they are not made second-class citizens based on their faith or non-faith. >> reporter: a concern expressed by justice kagan, what troubles me about this case is that here a citizen is going to a local community board and is immediately being asked, being forced to identify whether she believes in the things that most of the people in the room believe in. but justice scalia said, there is a serious religious interest on the other side of this thing, that people who have religious beliefs ought to be able to invote the deity when they are acting as citizens. it seems to me that when they do that, so long as all groups are allowed to be in. marco rubio pushed back against the allegations that the prayers are unconstitutional. they're held before the business ever starts. >> the argument here today is that somehow that's unconstitutional. it makes no sense. the very people who wrote the constitution themselves invoked prayer before they began meetings. >> report

. >> reporter: susan galloway, a resident who is jewish and linda stevens who is an atheist say the premeeting prayers violate their rights because they emphasize christian beliefs. >> when you're told by a pastor to stand up and bow your head and pray to jesus and you don't do that, it can be intimidating if you object. >> reporter: the town of greece argues the supreme court settled the issue 30 years ago. that ruling says opening prayer is part of the nation's fabric and not a violation of the first amendment. >> it's something we do in the senate every day before we meet and it's something that we've done for over 200 years in the capitol. >> reporter: the town's lawyer told the court people of different religions are given equal opportunity to pray. >> we can pray how we want. >> reporter: outside the court a group of atheist protesters exercised their right to free speech while a pastor led a small group in prayer. the court's ruling is expected next june. tara mergener for cbs news at the supreme court. >>> the obama administration and conservative groups both agree that the town of gre

. >> the plaintiffs in the case, linda stephens, who is an atheist and susan gal galloway who is jewish said the prayers are coercive. >> you can't participate in a prayer before you stand up to take discretionary action that affects you personally. this is highly coercive, also a sectarian endorsement. this case is about christians aggressively imposing themselves on their fellow citizens with the power of government. >> the justices appear to be split along ideological lines with conservative justices scal scalia and alito supportive of the board. the prayers of the opening congress were highly sectarian much like those in greece, new york. >> when the first amendment was ratified in 1971, the country was mostly protestant unlike today when countless religions are represented. several justices pointed out that crafting a prayer today that doesn't offend somebody could be daunting if not impossible. for "religion & ethics newsweekly," i'm tim o'brien at the supreme court. >> the court's decision is not expected until spring. >>> a u.s. military judge has ordered the government to

. >> the plaintiffs in the case, linda stephens, who is an atheist and susan gal galloway who is jewish said the prayers are coercive. >> you can't participate in a prayer before you stand up to take discretionary action that affects you personally. this is highly coercive, also a sectarian endorsement. this case is about christians aggressively imposing themselves on their fellow citizens with the power of government. >> the justices appear to be split along ideological lines with conservative justices scal scalia and alito supportive of the board. the prayers of the opening congress were highly sectarian much like those in greece, new york. >> when the first amendment was ratified in 1971, the country was mostly protestant unlike today when countless religions are represented. several justices pointed out that crafting a prayer today that doesn't offend somebody could be daunting if not impossible. for "religion & ethics newsweekly," i'm tim o'brien at the supreme court. >> the court's decision is not expected until spring. >>> a u.s. military judge has ordered the government to