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Supreme Court rules against student-led prayer at football games

girl praying
The Supreme Court says prayer led by student representatives during public school events are "not properly characterized as private speech"  

June 19, 2000
Web posted at: 11:17 a.m. EST (1517 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that public schools cannot allow student-led prayer before high school football games, a decision that once again reinforces the wall between church and state.

The 6-3 ruling came in a case involving the Sante Fe Independent School District in Galveston, Texas, which allowed student-initiated and student-led prayer before high school football contests.

The central question in the case was whether it is a violation of the Constitution for a public school district to allow such prayers, even if school officials do not start the prayers.

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Prayer in schools
 
  FULL TEXT
Sante Fe School District v. Jane Doe
 
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Specifically, the question was whether such action violates the First Amendment's establishment clause, which states that Congress "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

The case began when two families -- one Mormon and one Catholic -- sued school officials.

The school district said its policy allowed people to speak freely about any topic before high school football games, including prayer.

The parents of unnamed students, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union, said the policy was not as neutral as it appeared to be. They said the policy was another example of the school district imposing religious messages on students.

Previous rulings

The Supreme Court has ruled before on school prayer.

In the 1992 Lee v. Weisman case, the court said no to a rabbi's prayer at a public middle school.

The next year, the Supreme Court refused to hear the Jones v. Clear Creek Independent School District case, in which the lower court allowed "non-sectarian, non-proselytizing, student-initiated, student-led" prayer at graduation ceremonies.

The current case was filed to challenge both the Supreme Court's decision to reject the Jones case and to void the Santa Fe School District's policy.

Is it a violation of the Constitution for a public school district to allow student-initiated and student-led prayer at high school football games?

Specifically, does such action violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which states that Congress "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion?"

prayer protestors
School prayer opponents protest pre-game prayer in Texas  

The case that posed that question was Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe. The case began with the parents of an unnamed seventh-grade student suing school officials in 1995.

The school district said it had a policy that allowed people to speak freely about any topic before high school football games.

The parents of the unnamed child, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union, said the policy was not as neutral as it appeared to be. They said the policy was another example of the school district imposing religious messages on students in violation of the church and state principal.

The Supreme Court has ruled before on school prayer. In the 1992 Lee v. Weisman case, the court said no to a rabbi's prayer at a public middle school. The next year, the Supreme Court refused to hear the Jones v. Clear Creek Independent School District case, in which the lower court allowed "non-sectarian, non-proselytizing, student-initiated, student-led" prayers at graduation ceremonies.

The current case was filed to challenge both the Supreme Court's decision to reject the Jones case and to void the Santa Fe School District's policy.

The case is Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe.



RELATED STORIES:
Supreme Court takes on issue of prayers at school football games
March 29,2000
Supreme Court to tackle major school prayer case
March 28, 2000

RELATED SITES:
Federal Judiciary Homepage
  • 5th Circuit
School Prayer: A Community at War
ITVS - School Prayer
American Atheists // School Prayer Decision


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