Throughout history, there has been an everlasting conflict between having a broader or narrower interpretation of the US Constitution. Some believe that the exact wordings stated in the Constitution are the rules to follow in a strict manner without any compromise. Others consider the Constitution to have looser understanding and there needs to be room for different analyses. Because of this disagreement of interpretation, it is complicated to decide on what laws are constitutional or not, and as a result numerous cases are brought to the Supreme Court to settle these disputes. An example of this is the1946 Everson vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. A district taxpayer, Arch Everson, filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education in New Jersey opposing the board's authority to reimburse those parents of children who go to Catholic schools for busing transportation. His argument was that the statue and the resolution passed violated both the State and the Federal Constitution. Everson argued that this reimbursement violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because it is respecting the establishment of religion. The reimbursement recognizes the Catholic faith by giving those parents money funded by the state and local tax payers, who objected their tax dollars being spent on an unconstitutional support of religion. However, by a very close 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court decided that the reimbursement did not violate the Establishment Clause. The Court decided that although the Establishment Clause does authorize that all states must remain neutral to all religion and between disputes among religious and nonreligious organizations, this reimbursement did not violate it. This statue was part of a fundamental government program and had no specific religious intentions and did not give any group special privileges. All schools were given the same reimbursement. Other government services are given to religious schools, like a sewer systems, so this reimbursement is no different other than it is more direct.
Separation of Church and State According to Mary Pitman Kitch removing the phrase, "under God" from "The Pledge of Allegiance" undermines our national heritage. She believes that it will cause millions of Americans to be outraged because most people think of the word "God" that is used in "...
In the 1947 case of Everson vs. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment (Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. ... However, if we were simply to implant prayer as an every day event in our children's education, there would be even more debates then there is currently because many people feel that organized prayer will lead to many problems. ...
For instance the Everson vs. Board of Education case established the separation of church and state. ... Due to the West Virginia State Board of Education vs. ... As they stated in this release,"" Newdow has standing as a parent to challenge a practice that interferes with his right to direct the religious education of his daughter."" ... I have had the pleasure of going through the state of Missouri public education system. ...
The swords are drawn, the line in the sand is defined, and the Constitution and the very spirit of America hang in the balance. The twenty first century will see the next step in our growth as a free republic. And whether it is a step taken back or a step taken forward is yet to be determined. While passionate feelings and thoughts will be considered, in the United States it is ultimately the law of the land, embodied in our Constitution that must be the final setting for a conclusion. We must find in our law the answer and to do so requires a study of the Constitution, its meaning, its i...
