Engel v. Vitale

370 U.S. 421, 82 S. Ct. 1261 (1962)

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Engel v. Vitale

United States Supreme Court
370 U.S. 421, 82 S. Ct. 1261 (1962)

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Facts

Vitale (defendant), head of the Board of Education of Union Free School District No. 9 in New Hyde Park, New York, directed that a prayer be spoken aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of each school day. Engel (plaintiff) brought suit in New York state court arguing that the state’s prayer requirement violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The lower courts upheld the prayer as constitutional, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)

Dissent (Stewart, J.)

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