In an unexpected about-face, a California city council has extended a formal invitation for a Christian mother to return and finish the prayer she began—before the mayor abruptly interrupted her and ordered her microphone turned off. The move is being hailed by religious liberty advocates as a small but significant victory for First Amendment rights in an increasingly hostile cultural climate.
Back in April, the city of Cypress, California made headlines when Mayor Anne Mallari interrupted a scheduled invocation by a local mother, Brittany Mayer, who had been invited to open the meeting in prayer. Mayer, a well-known activist and co-founder of the Christian advocacy group Freedom Revival, began her prayer with thanks and invoked God’s blessings over the council and its work. However, shortly after she referenced biblical principles and the lordship of Christ, the mayor signaled to city staff to cut off her microphone. Mallari then redirected the meeting to the next agenda item, leaving Mayer silenced in front of a stunned audience.
The incident sparked immediate backlash from conservatives, faith-based legal organizations, and citizens concerned with increasing government hostility toward religious speech. Many saw the mayor’s actions not only as disrespectful but as a clear violation of constitutional protections.
According to First Liberty Institute, a prominent legal organization defending religious liberty, Mayer had been selected to deliver the invocation through a process used by the city to involve local community members. In other words, her presence and prayer were not uninvited or unsolicited—she was participating in an official civic tradition. That didn’t stop the mayor from censoring her when her prayer didn’t align with politically correct standards.
“She wasn’t campaigning. She wasn’t attacking anyone. She was praying—just as hundreds of other community leaders have done for decades,” said Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel for First Liberty. “The city’s original response to Brittany’s peaceful prayer was unconstitutional and disrespectful. Thankfully, they’ve taken the first step toward correcting that.”
In late May, under growing public pressure and the looming threat of legal scrutiny, the Cypress City Council issued a formal invitation for Mayer to return and offer another invocation. The letter, which was reviewed by First Liberty, affirms the city’s commitment to viewpoint neutrality in public forums. While no apology from Mayor Mallari was included, the invitation is seen by many as a tacit acknowledgment that the city overstepped its bounds.
For her part, Mayer has accepted the invitation and plans to deliver another invocation this month. In a public statement, she made it clear that her intent was never to create division but to speak truth with conviction.
“Prayer is not political. Prayer is sacred,” Mayer said. “What happened was a direct attack on the Judeo-Christian values that helped build this nation. But I’m not afraid. I’m grateful for the opportunity to go back and finish what God started.”
Conservative commentators and religious leaders were quick to point out the broader implications of the event. Many believe it’s part of a troubling trend across the country in which public expressions of Christian faith are being suppressed in the name of tolerance and inclusivity—ironically, often by those who preach it most loudly.
“This wasn’t about separation of church and state—it was about censorship,” said one local pastor, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. “If you can’t pray in a city council meeting anymore, what kind of freedom do we really have left?”
The mayor, a self-described progressive who has promoted diversity initiatives in the past, has not made any public comments about the reversal. However, city council members have stated that the invitation was agreed upon collectively and was part of an effort to “restore public trust.”
First Liberty Institute emphasized that while the invitation is welcome, legal action is still being considered. “It’s not just about one person’s prayer,” Sasser said. “It’s about ensuring that every American—no matter their faith—has the right to speak freely without government interference.”
The legal precedent for such prayer is strong. In Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014), the Supreme Court upheld the practice of opening public meetings with prayer, even when those prayers are explicitly Christian. The decision emphasized that government may not regulate the content of such invocations, as long as a nondiscriminatory policy is in place.
This legal clarity makes the actions of Mayor Mallari particularly egregious, say critics. Not only did she interrupt a lawful invocation, but she did so in what many believe was a clear act of ideological censorship.
For Mayer and her supporters, the opportunity to return is more than symbolic. It is a reminder that courage still matters—and that standing up for faith, even in local government settings, is both necessary and urgent.
“I’m going to pray again, and this time I’ll finish,” Mayer said confidently. “God’s Word doesn’t need a microphone to be heard, but I plan to use mine.”
The incident has now galvanized local conservatives, many of whom plan to attend the upcoming meeting where Mayer will deliver her prayer once again. Their presence will likely serve as a strong visual message: Americans are watching—and they’re no longer willing to let elected officials trample their freedoms without consequence.
As the cultural divide deepens in California and across the nation, events like this underscore the importance of vigilance, boldness, and faith in action. The Constitution was not written to protect popular speech, but all speech—and that includes prayer.