Question

"...school-sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The majority stated that the provision allowing students to absent themselves from this activity did not make the law constitutional because the purpose of the First Amendment was to prevent government interference with religion. The majority noted that religion is very important to a vast majority of the American people. Since Americans adhere to a wide variety of beliefs, it is not appropriate for the government to endorse any particular belief system." Which of the following court cases would the above ruling represent?

Group of answer choices
A.West Virginia v. Barnette
B. Epperson v. Arkansas
C. Powell v. Alabama
D. Engel v. Vitale

Answer 1

The court case is Engel v. Vitale, where the Supreme Court ruled that school-sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause, thereby prohibiting organized prayer in public schools. The correct answer is option D.

Step-by-step explanation:

The court case that represents the ruling stating that school-sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment is Engel v. Vitale. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that government cannot endorse any particular belief system, emphasizing that the prayer's non-denominational character and its voluntary nature did not exempt it from being unconstitutional. As a result, organized prayer in public schools was prohibited, and the case established a foundation for current separation of church and state policies.