Church-state 'wall' coming back down?

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"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..."

the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution, which took effect Dec. 15, 1791

U.S. courts rule about two times each week on cases involving whether prayers can be included in a high school graduation ceremony, an image of Jesus Christ can be displayed in a public school or a Ten Commandments monument can remain in a government building or public park.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says such prayers and displays violate the principle of separation of church and state.

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, estimates the frequency of such rulings between 104 and 156 annually.

Mr. Lynn, whose group often gets involved in the cases, says they represent only a small fraction of incidents that arise.

"Most of these cases never even make it to court," he says.

The ACLU, which routinely takes on such cases in federal court, has scored some important victories in the church-state area.

Those victories include the 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lee v. Weisman, which struck down school-sponsored prayers at public-school graduation ceremonies.