Today in Supreme Court History: August 31, 1995

8/31/1995: Students at Santa Fe Independent School District voted to allow a student to say a prayer at football games. In Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe (2000), the Supreme Court declared this prayer unconstitutional.

The Rehnquist Court

Comments

[Cal Cetín]

Fun fact - I believe the trial judge in that case was Samuel Kent, who threatened any student who defied his orders by praying in the name of Jesus:

"

[Cal Cetín]

"Anyone who violates these orders, no kidding, is going to wish that he or she had died as a child when this court gets through with it."

https://bit.ly/3mNHEEv

[Cal Cetín]

Kent was later sent to prison, impeached and resigned for lying about his habit of groping women:

https://offtheleash.net/2021/03/14/impeached-in-america-samuel-b-kent/

[Cal Cetín]

And this particular Santa Fe was in Texas.

[bernard11]

Look like there was some kind of <a href="https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/regions/southwest/san-antonio/"trade.

[bernard11]

My kingdom for an edit function.

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

This might set a record for a commenter replying to one's own comment. But that is an excellent fun fact.

[Cal Cetín]

Well, excuse me for trying to converse with someone intelligent!

[Cal Cetín]

Plus there's only one link allowed per post, and the first post was automatic because I put the link too close to the text, which apparently triggers publication.

[David Nieporent]

Hmh. I had always assumed that the Santa Fe Independent School District was in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Learn something new every day.