Fact Check: Supreme Court Ruled Ten Commandments Displays Unconstitutional in 1980
What We Know
In the case of Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980), the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a Kentucky statute requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms was unconstitutional. The Court found that the statute violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, as it lacked a secular legislative purpose. The law mandated that copies of the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom, which were funded through private contributions. However, the Court determined that the mere act of posting these religious texts in a public educational setting endorsed religion and had no educational function, thus violating the First Amendment (source-1).
The ruling was based on the precedent established in Lemon v. Kurtzman, which introduced the "Lemon test" to evaluate whether a law has a secular purpose. The majority opinion stated that the Ten Commandments convey religious duties and are not integrated into the school curriculum, which further supported the conclusion that the statute was unconstitutional (source-3).
Analysis
The ruling in Stone v. Graham is widely regarded as a significant case regarding the separation of church and state in the United States. The Supreme Court's decision was a narrow 5-4 vote, reflecting a divided opinion on the matter. The majority opinion articulated that the posting of the Ten Commandments served no educational purpose and was likely to induce students to read and venerate the text, which is contrary to the objectives of public education (source-2).
Justice Rehnquist's dissent argued that the Ten Commandments have influenced secular legal codes and thus could serve a legitimate secular purpose. However, the majority opinion countered that any potential secular application does not negate the religious nature of the text itself (source-1). This dissent highlights the ongoing debate about the intersection of religion and public education, but the majority's ruling remains the law of the land.
The sources used in this analysis are credible, including legal documents, scholarly articles, and reputable encyclopedic entries. The Wikipedia entry provides a comprehensive overview of the case and its implications, while the First Amendment Encyclopedia offers a detailed examination of the ruling's context and significance (source-2, source-1).
Conclusion
The claim that the Supreme Court ruled Ten Commandments displays unconstitutional in 1980 is True. The Court's decision in Stone v. Graham established that the mandatory posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment due to its lack of a secular purpose and its endorsement of religion.
Sources
- Stone v. Graham (1980) | The First Amendment Encyclopedia
- Stone v. Graham - Wikipedia
- PDF U.S. Reports: Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980)
- WashU Expert: Ten Commandments display likely unconstitutional
- Sydell STONE et al. v. James B. GRAHAM, Superintendent of Public ...
- Stone v. Graham - Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs
- Supreme Court Case on Education Rights - Britannica
- Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (1980) - Justia US Supreme Court Center
