Religion and Public Education Timeline

By jenigray

  • West Virginia v. Barnette

    The Supreme Court made it clear that students may not be required to salute the flag.

  • Everson v. Board of Education

    This was the first major establishment clause decision where the court held that the government cannot aid any one religion or all religions, but must remain neutral toward religion.

  • McCollum v. Bd. of Education

    McCollum sued the school board stating that religious instruction in school violates the Establishment Cause of the First Amendment. The court ruled in her favor that the classes were uncontitutional.

  • Zorach v. Clausen

    Supreme Court decision permitted the public school students to travel to other places to receive religous instruction.

  • Engle v. Vitale

    Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for a school to require students to pray.

  • Epperson v. Arkansas

    Epperson sued saying that not being able to teach about human evolution violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

  • Lemon v. Kurtzman

    The supreme Court announced a three-part test to evaluate establishment clause claims in Lemon v. Kurtzman.

  • Wisconsin v. Yoder

    The best-known case involving a free exercise claim involving the Amish where the court exempted the children from attending school school after the eighth grade.

  • Stone v. Graham

    Supreme Court ruled that the Kentucky law requiring the 10 Comandments to be posted in all classrooms was unconstitutional.

  • Wallace v. Jaffee

    The Supreme Court struck down an Alabama law that inserted the phrase "or voluntary prayer" into an existing statute that authorized a period of silent meditation.

  • Mozert v. Hawkins Cnty. Bd. of Education

    The court ruled that a public school requirement of all public school students to use a prescribed set of textbooks to be unconstitutional.

  • Lee v. Weisman

    A school policy where principals were allowed to invite members of the clergy to deliver invocations at graduation ceremonies was declared unconstitutional by the Court as a violation of the establishment clause.

  • Doe v. Madison School Dist. No 321

    The Court ruled that graduation ceremonies are a forum for student expression and they have the right to include religous messages.

  • Newdow v. United States

    A father brought suit against a school about the inclusion of the phrase "under God" violating the establishment clause. The case was dismissed because the father did not have legal custody of the student.