“There can be no doubt that New York's state prayer program officially establishes the religious beliefs embodied in the Regents' prayer. The respondents' argument to the contrary, which is largely based upon the contention that the Regents' prayer is "nondenominational" and the fact that the program, as modified and approved by state courts, does not require all pupils to recite the prayer, but permits those who wish to do so to remain silent or be excused from the room, ignores the essential nature of the program's constitutional defects. Neither the fact that the prayer may be denominationally neutral nor the fact that its observance on the part of the students is voluntary can serve to free it from the limitations of the Establishment Clause…”
--Justice Hugo Black, Engel v. Vitale, 1962
-On which of the following constitutional principles did the Supreme Court base its decision in Engel v.Vitale?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court's decision in Engel v. Vitale was based on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing an official religion or favoring one religion over another. The Court ruled that the state-sanctioned prayer in public schools was unconstitutional because it violated this clause.

“There Can Be No Doubt That New York's State Prayer