Abington School District v. Schempp (1963)

In Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that devotional bible reading and required prayer were unconstitutional because these practices violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The appellants, parents Edward and Sidney Schempp, challenged a Pennsylvania law requiring the daily reading without comment of 10 verses from the Bible followed by a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Schempp was consolidated with a similar case on appeal, Murray v. Curlett, where parent Madalyn Murray sued to end a similar requirement for prayer and Bible reading in Maryland. If students are required to read the Bible in school and they are from a religious group that is not Christian, such as Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, they may feel that their religious ...

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