Court cases involving freedom of religion in the U.S.

:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_the_United_States#Lemon_test

Lemon test[edit]
The Supreme Court has consistently held fast to the rule of strict separation of church and state when matters of prayer are
involved. In Engel v. Vitale (1962) the Court ruled that government-imposed nondenominational prayer in public school was
unconstitutional. In Lee v. Weisman (1992), the Court ruled prayer established by a school principal at a middle school graduation
was also unconstitutional, and in Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe (2000) it ruled that school officials may not directly
impose student-led prayer during high school football games nor establish an official student election process for the purpose of
indirectly establishing such prayer. The distinction between force of government and individual liberty is the cornerstone of such
cases. Each case restricts acts by government designed to establish prayer while explicitly or implicitly affirming students' individual
freedom to pray.
The Court has therefore tried to determine a way to deal with church/state questions. In Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), the Court
created a three-part test for laws dealing with religious establishment. This determined that a law was constitutional if it:

1.

Had a secular purpose

2.

Neither advanced nor inhibited religion

3.

Did not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion.

Some examples of where inhibiting religion has been struck down:

In Widmar v. Vincent, 454 U.S. 263 (1981), the Court ruled that a Missouri law prohibiting religious groups from using
state university grounds and buildings for religious worship was unconstitutional. As a result, Congress decided in 1984 that
this should apply to secondary and primary schools as well, passing the Equal Access Act, which prevents public schools from
discriminating against students based on "religious, political, philosophical or other content of the speech at such meetings". In
Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226, 236 (1990), the Court upheld this law when it
ruled that a school board's refusal to allow a Christian Bible club to meet in a public high school classroom violated the act.

In Good News Club v. Milford Central School, 533 U.S. 98 (2001), the Court ruled that religious groups must be allowed to
use public schools after hours if the same access is granted to other community groups.

In Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819 (1995), the Supreme Court found that
the University of Virginia was unconstitutionally withholding funds from a religious student magazine.