JACKSON COUNTY, MI - Lawmakers in Michigan can continue leading prayers before public meetings.

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied reviewing the most recent decision in Bormuth v. County of Jackson - in which the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Jackson County's practice.

The Supreme Court also denied reviewing a similar case in North Carolina, however, where the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the practice.

"We won in one case, we lost in another and the Supreme Court has declined to weigh in and resolve that conflict," said Ken Klukowski, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute - which represented Jackson County pro bono. "I'm surprised that they did not."

Jackson County spent $65,000 to $70,000 on the lawsuit, per county officials, before First Liberty Institute stepped in with its attorneys to pick up the case.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented to the court's decision to review the North Carolina case. There was no commentary on the Jackson County case.

"State and local lawmakers can lead prayers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan, but not in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, or West Virginia," the dissent states. "This Court should have stepped in to resolve this conflict."

While the case against Jackson County has concluded, Klukowski said the issue could be picked up by the Supreme Court through a different case at a later date.

"I hope that someday the court does take up the issue and resolves on a nationwide basis, that the identity of the prayer giver makes no difference under the constitution," he said.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State presented oral arguments in court against Jackson County's practice. The organization believes people of different faiths should be allowed to lead invocations.

"If the residents aren't Christians, they might well feel like they're second-class citizens because only one religious view is being presented in these prayers," said Alex Luchenitser, associate legal director for the group. "This practice in Jackson County discriminated against non-Christians and made non-Christians feel like outsiders who aren't fully represented by their local government."

The city of Jackson recently altered its invocation process, in the midst of the county lawsuit. Instead of council members solely leading with prayer, the council members select somebody from the public to speak at the start of the meeting.

Some invocations have been from Christian leaders, while other have had nothing to do with faith.

Meanwhile, Jackson County will continue with its current policy of having commissioners lead invocations, Administrator/Controller Mike Overton said.