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Wallace v Jaffree , 1985

Wallace v Jaffree , 1985. Toni Meacham. The Past….

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Wallace v Jaffree , 1985

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  1. Wallace v Jaffree, 1985 Toni Meacham

  2. The Past… In Zorach v. Clauson, 1952, the Supreme Court declared that Americans "are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being. When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates public service to their spiritual needs."

  3. The Past… Throughout the 1960s, case after case before the Court required a decision regarding the separation of religious activities from the public schools. In its Engel, Schempp, and Murray decisions, the Court ordered schools to end Bible-reading, group prayer, or a time for prayer as an official part of the school day. A storm of protest followed these decisions, while many school districts substituted a "moment of silence" for previous religious activities.

  4. Circumstances Beginning in 1978, the Alabama State legislature enacted a series of laws that some people believed were designed to encourage prayer in the public schools, despite the Supreme Court's previous restrictions on such activities.

  5. Circumstances One 1978 law authorized a period of silence at the beginning of the school day "for meditation." In 1981, a second law authorized that the time be used for "mediation and voluntary prayer."

  6. Circumstances Then, in 1982, the legislature authorized teachers to lead "willing students" in a State-written, prescribed prayer to "Almighty God…the Creator and Supreme Judge of the World."

  7. Circumstances The federal district judge hearing the case declared the laws constitutional, stating that "Alabama has the power to establish a State religion if it chooses to do so." The Jaffrees appealed. The Federal Court of Appeals overturned the judge's findings about a State religion for Alabama and also found the two laws in conflict with the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment. Alabama then appealed to the Supreme Court.

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