Church, State and the Constitution

As we begin our discussion of the Establishment Clause, I want you to journey back into the recesses of time, back to the days before you were a law student. Go back to your high school and college days, perhaps, and ask yourself "what was the story I was taught about the role of religion in the public square."

Maybe you were told this story in high school, or college. Somewhere you were discussing the subject of, say, a Ten Commandments display in a public park in Corny, Nebraska, and some teacher or speaker told you the story of what the First Amendment says about "church and state."

Think about that story and be prepared to share it with the class.