School District of Abington Township v. Schempp

The Court held that mandatory Bible reading and recitation of the Lord's Prayer in public schools violate the Establishment Clause.

Overview

Pennsylvania law required ten Bible verses at the start of each school day, and Maryland required the Lord's Prayer, in companion cases brought by families including Unitarian objections. Justice Clark, for an 8-1 majority, held that government must maintain strict neutrality toward religion, neither aiding nor opposing it, and that compulsory religious exercises in public schools breached that neutrality. The Court clarified that objective study of religion, including the Bible as literature and history, remains permissible. Schempp completed the school prayer framework that continues to govern religion in public education.