Prayer at public school events can involve three clauses of the First Amendment: the establishment, the free exercise, and the free speech.| The Free Speech Center
In Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), the Supreme Court said that providing funds to church-run schools was unconstitutional because it resulted in excessive entanglement with religion.| The Free Speech Center
Justice Clarence Thomas has surprised observers with his independent vision on First Amendment issues, including questioning interpretations of the establishment clause.| The Free Speech Center
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia viewed First Amendment protections in a narrow, but sometimes libertarian, fashion. He considered himself an "originalist."| The Free Speech Center
Marsh v. Chambers (1983) found that the practice of hiring a chaplain to open the legislative day with prayer did not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center
The Supreme Court used the three-pronged Lemon test for nearly four decades to evaluate whether a law or governmental activity violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The test was largely abandoned by 2022.| The Free Speech Center
In First Amendment law, Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, was known for her religious liberty opinions.| The Free Speech Center
Lynch v. Donnelly (1984) upheld the inclusion of a manger scene in a Christmas display on government property against a First Amendment establishment clause challenge.| The Free Speech Center
Courts use the endorsement test to determine whether the government impermissibly endorses or disapproves of religion in violation of the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center