Lee v. Weisman
"Lee v. Weisman" is a significant Supreme Court case that addressed the intersection of religion and public education, particularly concerning the presence of prayer at school-sponsored events. The case originated from a practice at a high school in Providence, Rhode Island, where local clergy were invited to deliver nonsectarian prayers during graduation ceremonies. However, Daniel Weisman, a parent of two students, sought to challenge this practice, arguing that it violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
The federal appellate court ruled that the graduation ceremony's prayers advanced religion and lacked a secular purpose, citing the precedent established in *Lemon v. Kurtzman*. When the case reached the Supreme Court, it was decided by a narrow 5-4 vote, with Justice Anthony Kennedy highlighting the coercive nature of the school’s practices, which pressured students to participate in the religious ceremonies. The ruling emphasized that the principal's control over the prayer content further exemplified this coercion.
While the decision affirmed the lower court's judgment, it did not restrict discussions of religious themes at school events or clarify the rights of students to organize their own prayers independently. This case remains a pivotal examination of how religious expressions are managed in public school settings and the ongoing dialogue regarding religious freedom and government neutrality.
Lee v. Weisman
Date: June 24, 1992
Citation: 505 U.S. 577
Issue: Establishment of religion
Significance: The Supreme Court declared that public schools could not conduct prayer exercises at graduation ceremonies.
Graduation ceremonies at a high school in Providence, Rhode Island, were voluntary. When inviting local clergy to offer nonsectarian invocations and benedictions, the principal would give them guidelines suggesting the use of “inclusiveness and sensitivity.” The principal took care to invite a diversity of local clergy Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, and others if available. Daniel Weisman, the father of two students, asked for a court order prohibiting the practice. In response, a federal appellate court ruled that the ceremony constituted an “advancement of religion” without a secular purpose, which was contrary to Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971). When the case was appealed to the Supreme Court, the administration of President George Bush submitted a brief asking the Court to overturn the Lemon precedent.
By a 5-4 vote, the Court upheld the lower court’s judgment. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy emphasized the element of government coercion to participate in the ceremony, with social pressures on students to attend, to stand, and to maintain respectful silence. In presenting clergy with guidelines for the prayers, moreover, the principal “directed and controlled the content of the prayer.” Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent endorsed Kennedy’s standard of coercion but found no coercion in this instance. The Weisman opinion did not limit the extent to which speakers at school events might discuss religious themes, and it did not address the question of whether students might organize prayer ceremonies without the involvement of public officials.