Engel v. Vitale
Engel v. Vitale was a landmark Supreme Court case decided in 1962 that addressed the issue of school-sponsored prayer and the establishment of religion in public schools. The Court invalidated a brief, nondenominational prayer composed by New York's educational authority, ruling that its use in schools violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. This decision built upon previous cases that emphasized a "wall of separation between church and state," further clarifying the extent to which the government could engage in religious activities. Justice Hugo L. Black, writing the majority opinion, provided a historical context for the ruling but faced dissent from Justice Potter Stewart, who argued it misinterpreted the First Amendment. Engel v. Vitale sparked significant debate and backlash from conservative religious groups, illustrating the contentious nature of religion in public life. While the ruling aimed to uphold the principle of religious neutrality in schools, it also raised questions about public expressions of faith in other settings. This case remains a key reference point in discussions about the balance between religious freedom and governmental authority in the United States.
Engel v. Vitale
Date: June 25, 1962
Citation: 370 U.S. 421
Issue: Establishment of religion
Significance: The Supreme Court, by invalidating a nondenominational prayer, first banned prayers in public schools as an unconstitutional establishment of religion.
Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the 7–1 opinion, in which Justice Byron R. White did not participate. The Supreme Court invalidated a twenty-two-word nondenominational school prayer composed by New York’s educational authority as an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Having previously applied the prohibition against the establishment of religion to the states under the Fourteenth Amendment in Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township (1947), the Court needed only to clarify what it meant by a “wall of separation between church and state.” Engel raised the wall much higher.
Black provided a lengthy review of British and American history to justify his decision but did not cite any specific Court precedent. He opined that this decision would not block all public expression of religion but held that schools could not sponsor such expressions. Although the Court was supported by a number of groups that filed amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs, when it sided with those who wanted a high wall, it provoked an intense reaction from many conservative religious groups. The storm of criticism did not deter the Court, which persisted in its position. Justice Potter Stewart was the lone dissenter, accusing the majority of misreading the First Amendment’s religious clauses, which forbade only governmental establishment of an official church. To do otherwise was to open up unnecessary conflicts with the free exercise provision that Stewart thought was preeminent.
Bibliography
Boston, Rob. “Awesome Anniversary: Engel at 50: How Five New York Families Ended Coercive Prayer in America’s Public Schools.” Church & State 6 (2012): 12. Print.
Dierenfield, Bruce J. The Battle over School Prayer : How Engel v. Vitale Changed America. Lawrence: UP of Kansas, 2007. Print.
Jones, Sarah E. “Unanswered Prayers?” Church & State 67.3 (2014): 6–8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.
Lain, Corinna Barrett. “God, Civic Virtue, and the American Way: Reconstructing Engel.” Stanford Law Review 67.3 (2015): 479–555. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.
Williams, J. Kelton. “God’s Country.” American Educational History Journal 37.1/2 (2010): 437–54. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.