Establishment Clause — Online Journal — Columbia Undergraduate Law Review

Espinoza v. Montana (2019): Should My Public Tax Dollars Pay for Your Religious Private School Education?

Founding Father Thomas Jefferson interpreted the First Amendment as the building of a wall between church and state. Reynolds v. United States (1878), a Supreme Court of the United States case that outlawed polygamy, affirmed Jefferson’s interpretation that the objective of the establishment clause of the First Amendment was to establish a clear separation between church and state. Although this intention was clarified, the Court has since continuously struggled to define what this separation entails and how to properly identify the scope of the freedom of religious expression.

fall 2019Rachel HalpernNovember 14, 2019Religious Education, Establishment Clause, Espinoza, First Amendment

Religious Symbols in the Modern Age: Evaluating History’s Role in the Establishment Clause

A crisis exists in the jurisprudence of the Establishment Clause—a key component of the First Amendment that outlines the separation of church and state. The clause states that the government cannot establish an official religion or make any laws that favor either a particular religion, religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion. However, the religious influence in social and legal matters has been inescapable throughout American history, and this is something that the courts still must come to terms with today.

Vivian LuNovember 7, 2019religion, Establishment Clause, secularism, First AmendmentComment