Army Specialist Dustin Chalker is a loyal soldier, a good citizen, and an atheist. It is the last of his characteristics that has caused problems when he is ordered to sit through ceremonies with sectarian religious observations. With the help of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, he has filed suit in a federal district court in Kansas (which is also a party), challenging the practices as a violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
In the complaint below, Chalker argues that such sectarian prayers and observations should not be part of compelled attendance events. The odds run heavily against him given prior cases and the insistence of the military that such prayers are ceremonial like the prayers that open up Congress.
Here is the complaint, Chalker case
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