Engel v. Vitale - wikipedia Engel v. Vitale Engel v. Vitale Supreme Court of the United States Argued April 3, 1962 Decided June 25, 1962 Full case name Steven I. Engel, et al. v. William J. Vitale, Jr., et al. ' Citations 370 U.S. 421 ( more ) 82 S. Ct. 1261 ; 8 L. Ed. 2d 601 ; 1962 U.S. LEXIS 847 ; 20 Ohio Op. 2d 328 ; 86 A.L.R. 2d 1285 Prior history 191 N.Y.S. 2d 453 ( Sup. Ct. 1959 ), aff 'd, 206 N.Y.S. 2d 183 ( App. Div. 1960 ), aff 'd, 176 N.E. 2d 579 ( N.Y. 1961 ) Subsequent history 186 N.E. 2d 124 ( N.Y. 1962 ) Holding Government - directed prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, even if the prayer is denominationally neutral and students may remain silent or be excused from the classroom during its recitation. Court membership Chief Justice Earl Warren Associate Justices Hugo Black Felix Frankfurter William O. Douglas Tom C. Clark John M. Harlan II William J. Brennan Jr. Potter Stewart Byron White Case opinions Majority Black, joined by Warren, Douglas, Clark, Harlan, Brennan Concurrence Douglas Dissent Stewart Frankfurter and White took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. Laws applied U.S. Const. amend. I Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 ( 1962 ), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that ruled it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. Contents 1 Background 2 Opinion of the Court 3 Subsequent jurisprudence 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links Background The case was brought by a group of families of public school students in New Hyde Park, New York, who complained that the voluntary prayer written by the state board of regents to `` Almighty God '' contradicted their religious beliefs. Led by Steven Engel, a Jewish man, the plaintiffs sought to challenge the constitutionality of the state 's prayer in school policy. They were supported by groups opposed to the school prayer including rabbinical organizations, Ethical Culture, and Jewish organizations. The acting parties were not members of one particular religion ; despite being listed in the court papers as an atheist, plaintiff Lawrence Roth later denied that and described himself as religious but uncomfortable with prayer. The five plaintiffs were made up of three Jews and two self - proclaimed `` spiritual '' people who did not belong to any one organized religion. The prayer in question was : Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen. The plaintiffs argued that opening the school day with such a prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution ( as applied to the states through the Fourteenth ), which says in part, `` Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion '' The governments of twenty - two states signed on to an amicus curiae brief urging affirmance of the New York Court of Appeals decision that upheld the constitutionality of the prayer. The American Jewish Committee, the Synagogue Council of America, and the American Ethical Union each submitted briefs urging the Court to instead reverse and rule that the prayer was unconstitutional. Opinion of the Court In an opinion delivered by Justice Hugo Black, the Court ruled that government - written prayers were not to be recited in public schools and were a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Establishment Clause of the first amendment. This was decided in a vote of 6 - 1, but before the decision could be announced, Justice Felix Frankfurter suffered a cerebral stroke that forced him to retire, and Justice Byron White took no part in the case. The Court explained the importance of separation between church and state by giving a lengthy history of the issue, beginning with the 16th century in England. It then stated that school 's prayer is a religious activity by the very nature of it being a prayer, and that prescribing such a religious activity for school children violates the Establishment Clause. The program, created by government officials to promote a religious belief, was therefore constitutionally impermissible. The Court rejected the defendant 's arguments that people are not asked to respect any specific established religion ; and that the prayer is voluntary. The Court held that the mere promotion of a religion is sufficient to establish a violation, even if that promotion is not coercive. The Court further held that the fact that the prayer is vaguely worded enough not to promote any particular religion is not a sufficient defense, as it still promotes a family of religions ( those that recognize `` Almighty God '' ), which still violates the Establishment Clause. Subsequent jurisprudence Engel became the basis for several subsequent decisions limiting government - directed prayer in school. In Wallace v. Jaffree ( 1985 ), the Supreme Court ruled Alabama 's law permitting one minute for prayer or meditation was unconstitutional. In Lee v. Weisman ( 1992 ), the court prohibited clergy - led prayer at middle school graduation ceremonies. Lee v. Weisman, in turn, was a basis for Santa Fe ISD v. Doe ( 2000 ), in which the Court extended the ban to school - organized student - led prayer at high school football games. See also List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 370 List of United States Supreme Court cases Separation of Church and State in the United States West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette ( 1943 ) Everson v. Board of Education ( 1947 ) Abington School District v. Schempp ( 1963 ) Lemon v. Kurtzman ( 1971 ) Wallace v. Jaffree ( 1985 ) Herricks Union Free School District References Jump up ^ David L. Hudson Jr., First Amendment scholar ( August 26, 2005 ). `` Plaintiff in 1962 landmark school - prayer case reflects on his role ''. www.firstamendmentcenter.org. Jump up ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=Qc5Ove6xYf8C&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=steven+engel+jewish&source=bl&ots=jS_1a2ex8y&sig=5SlTz-RFO4tXo3s7ojhwMxS_6zk&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CGUQ6AEwDWoVChMIuNKyg_rQxwIVxKMeCh2QgwuU#v=onepage&q=steven%20engel%20jewish&f=false Jump up ^ The prayer at issue in the case is presented at Engel, 370 U.S. at 422. Jump up ^ The amicus curiae was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia. Jump up ^ A full list of amicus briefs can be found at Findlaw. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Supreme Court : Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 ( 1962 ) ''. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 30. Further reading Dierenfield, Bruce J. ( 2007 ). The battle over school prayer : how Engel v. Vitale changed America. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7006 - 1525 - 4. Retrieved 5 July 2012. Kurland, Philip B. ( 1961 ). `` Of Church and State and the Supreme Court ''. University of Chicago Law Review. 29 ( 1 ) : 1 -- 96. doi : 10.2307 / 1598520... Schwarz, Alan ( 1968 ). `` No Imposition of Religion : The Establishment Clause Value ''. Yale Law Journal. 77 ( 4 ) : 692 -- 737. doi : 10.2307 / 795008... Sutherland, Arthur E., Jr. ( 1962 ). `` Establishment According to Engel ''. Harvard Law Review. 76 ( 1 ) : 25 -- 52. doi : 10.2307 / 1338663... External links Wikisource has original text related to this article : Engel v. Vitale Text of Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 ( 1962 ) is available from : Cornell CourtListener Findlaw Justia Oyez OpenJurist Google Scholar Government case review United States First Amendment case law Establishment Clause Public funding Everson v. Board of Education ( 1947 ) McCollum v. Board of Education ( 1948 ) Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York ( 1970 ) Lemon v. Kurtzman ( 1971 ) Marsh v. Chambers ( 1983 ) Mueller v. Allen ( 1983 ) Aguilar v. Felton ( 1985 ) Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet ( 1994 ) Agostini v. Felton ( 1997 ) Mitchell v. Helms ( 2000 ) Zelman v. Simmons - Harris ( 2002 ) Locke v. Davey ( 2004 ) Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn ( 2011 ) Public displays Stone v. Graham ( 1980 ) Lynch v. Donnelly ( 1984 ) Board of Trustees of Scarsdale v. McCreary ( 1985 ) County of Allegheny v. ACLU ( 1989 ) McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky ( 2005 ) Van Orden v. Perry ( 2005 ) Pleasant Grove City v. Summum ( 2009 ) School prayer Zorach v. Clauson ( 1952 ) Engel v. Vitale ( 1962 ) Abington School District v. Schempp ( 1963 ) Stone v. Graham ( 1980 ) Wallace v. Jaffree ( 1985 ) Lee v. Weisman ( 1992 ) Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe ( 2000 ) Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow ( 2004 ) Creationism Epperson v. Arkansas ( 1968 ) Edwards v. Aguillard ( 1987 ) Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District ( M.D. Pa. 2005 ) Legislature prayer Marsh v. Chambers ( 1983 ) Town of Greece v. Galloway ( 2014 ) Other McGowan v. Maryland ( 1961 ) McDaniel v. Paty ( 1978 ) Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc. ( 1985 ) Texas Monthly, Inc. v. 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Johnson ( 1989 ) United States v. Eichman ( 1990 ) Virginia v. Black ( 2003 ) Compelled speech Minersville School District v. Gobitis ( 1940 ) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette ( 1943 ) Wooley v. Maynard ( 1977 ) Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth ( 2000 ) Davenport v. Washington Education Association ( 2007 ) Knox v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1000 ( 2012 ) Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, Inc. ( 2013 ) Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ( under consideration ) National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra ( under consideration ) Loyalty oaths American Communications Association v. Douds ( 1950 ) Garner v. Board of Public Works ( 1951 ) Speiser v. Randall ( 1958 ) Keyishian v. Board of Regents ( 1967 ) Communist Party of Indiana v. Whitcomb ( 1974 ) School speech Minersville School District v. 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Dale ( 2000 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Engel_v._Vitale&oldid=826694405 '' Categories : Establishment Clause case law 1962 in United States case law Religion and education United States Supreme Court cases United States education case law Education in Nassau County, New York 1962 in religion 1962 in education American Civil Liberties Union litigation United States Supreme Court cases of the Warren Court Religion in New York ( state ) Prayer Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 20 February 2018, at 14 : 46. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what was the engel v. vitale case about
Answer: ruled it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools