Engel v. Vitale

The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark judgment in Engel v. Vitale (1962), its first ever case on prayer in public schools, is popularly known as the “Regents Prayer” decision. In Engel, the Court ruled that the New York State Board of Regents, the body that supervises the New York State public schools, violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in composing and recommending the recitation of a prayer for daily use in the state's public schools. Engel stands out because it paved the way for a long line of Supreme Court cases involving prayer and religious activities in public schools.