A member of the Mitchell City Council who has given impromptu invocations when the scheduled clergy member failed to show up for a council meeting says she's been advised to end the practice.

Geri Beck says the request came from Mitchell's mayor, Lou Sebert.  She says she understands Sebert's concern about the separation of church and state and will comply. But she says she doesn't think anyone would become upset about the prayers. 

Patrick Garry, a University of South Dakota law professor, says he's not aware of any legal cases involving an elected official delivering the invocation.  He says the U.S. Supreme Court has been inconsistent on such
invocations, which makes judging the constitutionality of Beck's prayers difficult. Garry says there are many arguments on both sides of the issue.