Lee V. Weisman

Robert E. Lee, who was the principal of Nathan Bishop Middle School in providence. Invited a rabbi to deliver a prayer who was Jewish. At the 1989 graduation ceremony the parents of the student Deborah Weisman were not happy they requested a temporary injuction to have the a rabbi not to speak anymore. When the Rhode Island district court denied the injuction, the Weisman family decided not to attend the graduation ceremony, then the rabbi ended up delivering the benediction. The Weisman went against the case and won it at the First Circuit of Court Appeals. The school appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court saying the prayer was nonsectarian and doubly voluntary. Justice Anthony Kennedy provided the fifth vote to reverse the lower court's rulings and deal a major blow to the twin separationist pillars of Engel and Abington.

The arguments of Weisman was to stop school prayers in school which was victories in the end. Lee and Kennedy argued that the graduation was voluntary and you didn't have to show up if you were offended by the prayers. I agree with Weisman on the case because if you aren't allowed to learn a religion or already is religious they you shouldn't have to be there. I think that there shouldn't be religious events in schools around the world because of that, even though if there is you should be allowed to step out and not learn about it.

The court ruled that the prayers were unconstitutional. The court has ruled against the separationis position in several key funding cases since Lee, including the school voucher case, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. Even though the court continues a maintain a strict ban on most forms of state sponsored religious exercises in schools themselves, as evidenced by the 6-3 ruling in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, which struck down the student led prayers before public school football games.

It has impacted our society in most school because if you are religious you aren't able to pray in school or pray before school events. Some people this can really affect on how they do or what they are doing in school. It has stopped many people from being offended in religious ways during school, but if the school is okay with the religiousness they still can't promote it.

I agree with Weisman winning the case and also the ban on religious events in schools. I would not be offended but it depends on everyone and atleast one would be offended so i can agree with the court. I can't agree on the no prayer before football games or basketball or anything because if you are all religious or the certain teammates who aren't can step out, it would really help a team if they could focus on what they are going to do and prayer over it. It would give them the confidence to do better.

What is the biggest issue with America today?

I think the economy is pretty bad, we are in trillions of debt and is just getting worse. We haven't done much to stop the debt and if it keeps getting worse than are taxes will keep rising and people will outrage. I think we need to find out a plan to stop the debt from rising or America could turn more rural and wont have so much of this excess stuff.