Jane Doe reveals her identity in Pittsylvania County prayer battle

“Jane Doe,” who is in a legal battle with the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors over board-led, sectarian Christian prayer during public meetings, has revealed her identity.

The woman is Chatham attorney Barbara Hudson, said Rebecca Glenberg, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

The ACLU is representing Hudson in the lawsuit. Hudson revealed her identity after U.S. Judge Michael Urbanski denied Jane Doe’s request to remain anonymous. She had 30 days to reveal herself to the court or appeal the judge’s decision.

“She feels strongly about this lawsuit and wishes to proceed as quickly as possible,” Glenberg said.

Hudson and the ACLU had requested her anonymity because of the hostility the case has generated in the community. Glenberg expressed concerns for Hudson’s safety Tuesday.

Numerous attempts to contact Hudson — including a visit to what was believed to be her Chatham home — were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Board of Supervisors’ Chairman Tim Barber said he had a good idea who Jane Doe was before she revealed her identity.

“It wasn’t surprising,” Barber said. “She’s had a long history of issues with the county.”

Hudson has represented Pittsylvania County residents in other lawsuits against the board of supervisors and the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority.

Barber said he will talk with the board’s legal counsel, Bill Stanley, to find out the supervisors’ next step in the case.

“We feel very strongly about what we’re doing, also,” Barber said. “We’re standing up for prayer.”

Stanley said Hudson should have come forward from the very start of the case.

“She has wasted the court’s time. She should have put her name on this from the very beginning,” Stanley said. “We now see why the suit is being brought.”

Stanley said he will sit down with his clients to see what the next step in the case will be.

On Aug. 16, the ACLU wrote a letter to the board asking them to stop opening meetings with prayer that “explicitly refer to Jesus Christ.” However, the board continued to pray.

The lawsuit was filed in September by the ACLU of Virginia on behalf of Jane Doe, who had contacted the group about the supervisors’ practice of praying during meetings.

The ACLU says the practice violates the First Amendment and amounts to government advancement of a religion. Urbanski also issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the board of supervisors from holding sectarian Christian prayers during its public meetings while Jane Doe’s case is pending in court. In addition, Urbanski denied the board’s request to dismiss the case.