Engel vs. Vitale

On Monday June 25, l962; the Engel vs. Vitale case was decided in the Supreme Court and this is the case which involved prayer in public schools. This was under the Warren Court with Chief Justice Earl Warren residing. Chief Justice Earl Warner (appointed by President Dwight David Eisenhower (R) in 1953) voted for the ban of prayer in schools. The Associate Justices voted as follows:

1)      Hugo Lafayette Black (appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D) in 1937) voted for the ban and he is the one who wrote the majority opinion.

2)      William Orville Douglas (appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D) in 1939) voted for the ban of prayer in public schools.

3)      Tom C. Clark (appointed by President Harry S. Truman (D) in 1949) voted for the ban of prayer in public schools.

4)      John Marshall Harlan (appointed by President Dwight David Eisenhower (R) in 1955) voted for the ban of prayer in public schools.

5)      William J. Brennan, Jr. (appointed by President Dwight David Eisenhower (R) in 1956) voted for the ban of prayer in public schools.

6)      Potter Stewart (appointed by President Dwight David Eisenhower (R) in 1958) was the only justice that voted against the ban of prayer in public schools and he was the one who wrote the dissent.

7)      Byron White (appointed by President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (D) in 1962) did not participate in the final vote.

8)      Felix Frankfurter (appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D) in 1939) did not participate in the final vote and Felix was born in Austria.

 The basis for the decision in the case of Engel vs. Vitale is the 1^st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The first ammendment reads as follows.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It is my firm belief that the judges were greatly mistaken in what the founders of this country meant by the first amendment. The words or prohibiting free exercise thereof is what the justices intentionally walked all over when they handed this decision down to the American people. They still have prayer each morning in the House and Senate so what is so different when having it in a public school. If they consider this an undue influence than why go to school at all. Some folks consider teaching evolution as wrong but that is not an issue because it is an anti-religious view. Seems quite hypocritical if you ask me. What is your point of view?