Topic: Establishment Clause
All Content
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Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide.
Officials in Greece, N.Y., set up a system for prayers before town meetings. The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine whether the practice violates the First Amendment's separation of church and state.
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Giant cross on government land: Supreme Court declines cases, for now
The Supreme Court refused to take two cases in a longstanding church-state dispute over the 43-foot Mt. Soledad cross on federal lands in La Jolla, Calif. The court expects that lower courts may yet resolve the issue.
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Crosses on public land: Did Supreme Court leave legal issue in 'shambles'?
The Supreme Court agrees not to take a case on whether memorial crosses on public land in Utah violate the First Amendment. But one justice says the court has left the topic in legal limbo.
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Supreme Court justices find government line in church-state case 'amazing'
The Supreme Court hears arguments in the case of a women who says she was discriminated against when she was fired from a religious school. The school claims First Amendment protections, but government lawyers are suggesting church-state concerns don't apply.
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Ban on judge's Ten Commandments poster stands as Supreme Court declines case
A federal judge and a US appeals court ruled previously that the judge's poster, expressing preference for the moral absolutism of the Ten Commandments, violated previous Supreme Court rulings on the separation of church and state.
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US judges rule for teacher who called creationism 'superstitious nonsense'
Did hostile classroom remarks about creationism violate the mandate that the government remain neutral on religion? An appeals court says the teacher has immunity from being sued.
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Texas Gov. Perry's public day of prayer draws fire from clergy and atheists
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has called for a public day of prayer and fasting, prompting criticism from First Amendment watchdog groups, atheists, and the Houston Clergy Council.
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Supreme Court declines to hear 'So help me God' lawsuit
Michael Newdow, whose previous First Amendment challenge sought to strike 'under God' from the Pledge of Allegiance, tried to block the use of 'So help me God' in the inauguration ceremony.
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National Day of Prayer a testament to America's uniqueness, backers say
National Day of Prayer activities include speeches and gatherings of many different faiths. Controversial to some, the National Day of Prayer has roots in the earliest days of the nation.
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Feds' request: Let us take on jail that bans all books except the Bible
The Justice Department, in its appeal to a federal judge in South Carolina asking to intervene in an ACLU lawsuit against a county sheriff, says the policy discriminates against non-Christians.
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Tax credits for religious schools? Supreme Court says taxpayers have no say.
The Supreme Court rules 5 to 4 that taxpayers do not have legal standing to challenge an Arizona tax-credit program because the state is not directly funding the parochial schools.
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Supreme Court refuses appeal about Ten Commandments displays
The Supreme Court had struck down earlier Ten Commandments displays at the same Kentucky courthouses in 2005. The displays were altered, but a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against them.
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Religious schools, government money? Supreme Court hears Arizona case.
The Supreme Court must decide if an Arizona program that gives tax credits for private school donations favors religion, or if participants in the program are just exercising personal choice.
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Free speech: Some First Amendment landmarks
The First Amendment right to free speech is the most widely understood US constitutional provision.
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Roadside crosses for fallen Utah police unconstitutional, court rules
The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that 12-foot-high crosses honoring fallen members of the Utah Highway Patrol effectively endorse Christianity – and violate the separation of church and state – by going beyond the 'more humble spirit of small roadside crosses.'
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Questions Elena Kagan has already answered
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan lacks a paper trail. But her Senate confirmation hearing last year for solicitor general offers a preview of what's to come.
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Mojave cross theft shows planning; veterans groups vow to rebuild
The Mojave cross, which the US Supreme Court two weeks ago ruled could stay, was removed early this week, sparking outrage.
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National Day of Prayer is on, despite court ruling
President Obama has issued a National Day of Prayer proclamation but will not hold an interfaith observance at the White House, as President Bush did. The administration is appealing a ruling last month that the official day of prayer is unconstitutional.
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Supreme Court declines to hear Lesbian couple's suit against Boy Scouts
A lesbian couple and an agnostic couple are suing to prevent the Boy Scouts from using public land. The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal in the case, which returns to the Ninth Circuit.
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Opponents weigh in on Supreme Court Mojave cross decision
Veterans groups say the Mojave cross was no different from other war memorials with religious imagery. Opponents of the Supreme Court decision vow to fight on.
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Vets win Supreme Court victory in ‘Mojave cross’ case
The cross on a desert hilltop in the Mojave National Preserve in California has stood since 1934. Opponents say having the Mojave cross on public land violates the constitutional prohibition on government endorsement of religion.
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Federal judge: National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional
US District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer violates the First Amendment’s prohibition on government endorsement of religion.
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Healthcare reform law challenged on religious grounds, too
The Thomas More Law Center in Michigan and Liberty University in Virginia, abortion foes, each filed suit challenging the new healthcare reform law. The law treats religions unequally, they say, and forces adherents to be part of a healthcare system that violates their religious beliefs on abortion.
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Federal court approves 'under God' in Pledge of Allegiance
Atheist Michael Newdow challenged 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance and 'in God we trust' on US currency as unconstitutional endorsements of religion. But the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals said the references to God are grounded in historical philosophy and politics.
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Supreme Court lets stand order to remove Ten Commandments monument
A lower court ruled that a Ten Commandments monument on the lawn of an Oklahoma courthouse was an endorsement of religion, and violated the First Amendment. The Supreme Court let that decision stand.
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