Lee v. Weisman
| Lee v. Weisman | |
|---|---|
| Argued November 6, 1991 Decided June 24, 1992 | |
| Full case name | Robert E. Lee, Individually and as Principal of Nathan Bishop Middle School, et al., Petitioners v. Daniel Weisman etc. |
| Citations | 505 U.S. 577 (more) 112 S. Ct. 2649; 120 L. Ed. 2d 467; 60 U.S.L.W. 4723; 92 Cal. Daily Op. Service 5448; 92 Daily Journal DAR 8669 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Temporary restraining order to prevent invocation from being delivered denied (D.R.I. 1989); permanent injunction granted after graduation ceremony, Weisman v. Lee, 728 F. Supp. 68 (D.R.I. 1990); affirmed, 908 F.2d 1090 (1st Cir. 1990); cert. granted, 499 U.S. 918 (1991). |
| Holding | |
| Including a clergy-led prayer within the events of a public high school graduation violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kennedy, joined by Blackmun, Stevens, O'Connor, Souter |
| Concurrence | Blackmun, joined by Stevens, O'Connor |
| Concurrence | Souter, joined by Stevens, O'Connor |
| Dissent | Scalia, joined by Rehnquist, White, Thomas |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. I | |
Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. 577 (1992), was a United States Supreme Court decision regarding school prayer. It was the first major school prayer case decided by the Rehnquist Court. It held that schools may not sponsor clerics to conduct even non-denominational prayer. The Court followed a broad interpretation of the Establishment Clause that had been standard for decades at the nation's highest court, a reaffirmation of the principles of such landmark cases as Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schempp.