ABSTRACT
In Engel v. Vitale, the US Supreme Court held that the state of New York could not sponsor the recitation of a prayer at the start of the school day without violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The First Amendment to the US Constitution forbids the establishment of any state-sponsored religion and the government's intrusion on the right of individuals to the free exercise of the religion of their choosing. The Establishment Clause stands to protect the citizenry against government-sponsored religion. In this case, the board of education had established "protective" procedures to ensure that students who did not want to participate in the prayer were not compelled to do so. Engel v. Vitale stands for the proposition that the "wall" between the federal government and the religions that operate within America's borders is a critical protector of religious liberty.
