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Man fed up with prayers before county commission meetings

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JACKSON, Mich. (WSYM) - The man who wants to stop the Jackson County Commissioners from starting their meetings with a prayer has one chance left, the United States Supreme Court.

The United States Court of Appeals recently sided with Jackson County allowing county commissioners to continue on with prayers to kick off their meetings.

Peter Bormuth is hoping to keep fighting the move. The whole situation has him fired up.

“I didn’t come here to go to church,” said Bormuth. “There is supposed to be separation between church and state.”

Bormuth went to his first meeting inside the Jackson County Tower building fighting to close the Jackson County Resource Recovery Facility in August 2013.

After hearing a prayer to kick off a meeting, Bormuth returned to the next one to complain.

“I think it was directed toward the audience and I think it was with the deliberate intensions to associate the Christian religion in the minds of the public who came there before the commission,” said Bormuth.

After taking a few legal routes to get the commission to stop Bormuth has had no luck. His option is now the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case may not go much further but if it does Bormuth is ready.

“I’m certainly not going to give up,” said Bormuth. “We'll go to the supreme court with it and hopefully we'll get a reversal but there's no guarantee.”

State Senator Mike Shirkey and State Representative Julie Alexander agree with the U.S. Court of Appeals decision recently saying "a brief prayer is an example of free speech, not a violation of it."

Alexander served three terms on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners before being elected to the state house.