Santa+Fe+Independent+School+District

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000)

Sometime before 1995 at Santa Fe High School, the student council chaplain spoke an obviously Christian prayer over the school's public address system before home varsity football games. When a Mormon family and a Catholic family cited the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the District Court for the area enjoined (took action against) the Santa Fe Independent School District from continuing the prayer policy. While the District Court pressed its case, the school district considered a new policy which would allow (but not mandate) prayer amongst students at home games and call for two student elections. The first election would decide whether or not there should be prayer, and if the students did decide to allow prayer, the second election would choose a student to lead in prayer. Once the school district's new policy was adopted, the District Court for the area mandated that the prayer must be spoken in a nonsectarian, nonproselytizing manner. A Court of Appeals then considered then ruled the school district's new policy and the District Court's policy invalid. On the grounds that the student prayers were private - not public - speech, the school district claimed that its new policy did not violate the Establishment Clause and called for a writ of certiorari.

Was the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment violated when the Santa Fe Independent School District implemented a policy permitting student-led and student-initiated prayer at football games?

The Court's decision was 6 votes for Doe and 3 votes against Doe. The Court thought that the Establishment Clause was violated because they thought that the prayers were, indeed, public speech, the football field was government property, and the events at which the prayers took place were government-sponsored. Also, the Court thought that the District's policy inferred that government sponsored the prayer. Therefore, the Court thought, the speech was not "private." This set a precedent for the Establishment of Religion.

From the Desk of Graham Colton