Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe

530 U.S. 290 (2000)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

Does (P) commenced this action in April 1995 and moved for a temporary restraining order to prevent the District from violating the Establishment Clause at the imminent graduation exercises. Ps alleged that the District had engaged in several proselytizing practices, such as promoting attendance at a Baptist revival meeting, encouraging membership in religious clubs, chastising children who held minority religious beliefs and distributing Gideon Bibles on school premises. They also alleged that the District allowed students to read Christian invocations and benedictions from the stage at graduation ceremonies, and to deliver overtly Christian prayers over the public address system at home football games. The District Court entered a compromise interim order to permit only nonsectarian, non-proselytizing prayer at the public-school events. Both parties appealed, the School District contending that the enjoined portion of the October policy was permissible and Ps contending that both alternatives violated the Establishment Clause. The Court of Appeals majority agreed with Ps in that precedents allowed prayer at 'a significant, once-in-a-lifetime event' to be contrasted with athletic events where prayer was not allowed in 'a setting that is far less solemn and extraordinary.'