Engel v. Vitale
From Wikisource
| ←United States Supreme Court | Engel v. Vitale Syllabus |
| Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that determined that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and require its recitation in public schools, even when it is non-denominational and students may excuse themselves from participation. — Excerpted from Engel v. Vitale on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. |
| Court Documents |
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| Opinion of the Court |
| Concurring Opinion Douglas |
| Dissenting Opinion Stewart |
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| Linked cases: 472 U.S. 38 505 U.S. 577 530 U.S. 290 |
Because of the prohibition of the First Amendment against the enactment of any law "respecting an establishment of religion," which is made applicable to the States by the Fourteenth Amendment, state officials may not compose an official state prayer and require that it be recited in the public schools of the State at the beginning of each school day -- even if the prayer is denominationally neutral and pupils who wish to do so may remain silent or be excused from the room while the prayer is being recited. Pp. 422-436.
