Word: prayerful
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Almost all laws have loopholes, and law defined by the Supreme Court is no exception. Although it is widely believed that the court prohibited public school prayer in 1962, the court in fact merely forbade teachers to organize formal prayer sessions. The door was left open, at least a crack, to prayer that was purely voluntary...
Ever since, the states have been looking for ways to permit school prayer without appearing to demand it. Nineteen states have passed laws establishing a time for silent prayer or meditation in classrooms. Where challenged, however, these laws are usually struck down. The Supreme Court has remained above the fray, preferring to let the lower courts deal with the problems. But with Congress and the President agitating over a school-prayer amendment, the Justices may not be able to sit out much longer...
Most legal experts believe the high court will eventually approve a daily moment of silence. The precise rules could be difficult to establish, and no law will entirely insulate students from religious pressure. But by ruling on a major school-prayer case, the Justices might be able to head off the more drastic alternative: an amendment limiting the court's authority to interpret the Constitution. "With all the heat for a constitutional amendment, the court may say, 'Let's ease up and allow a moment of meditation,'" says Jesuit Father Robert Drinan, professor...
Alabama has already asked the Justices to review a lower-court decision striking down a state law that gives students a choice between prayer and meditation. In New Jersey a federal district court disallowed a law that does not even mention prayer but simply authorizes "quiet and private contemplation or introspection." Despite this ruling, several New Jersey schools still offer students a voluntary minute of silent meditation...
Since the Supreme Court rarely reverses its precedents, it is not about to overturn its 1962 school-prayer decision. The court moves slowly and incrementally. But it may see in a moment of silence a chance to bend without breaking...