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Wallace, Governor of Alabama, Et Al. v. Jaffree Et Al.; And Smith Et Al. v. Jaffree Et Al.
Citations: 466 U.S. 924; 80 L. Ed. 2d 178; 104 S. Ct. 1704; 52 U.S.L.W. 3719; 1984 U.S. LEXIS 218Docket: 83-812; 83-929
Court: Supreme Court of the United States; April 2, 1984; Federal Supreme Court; Federal Appellate Court
In the cases of *Wallace v. Jaffree* and *Smith v. Jaffree*, the Supreme Court addressed the constitutionality of two Alabama statutory provisions concerning school prayer. The primary focus was on the validity of Ala. Code. 16-1-20.2, which was deemed unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, as applicable to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court of Appeals had previously ruled that the statutory provisions and certain nonstatutory school prayer practices violated this clause, leading to an injunction against their enforcement. The Supreme Court's order specifically affirmed the Court of Appeals' decision regarding Ala. Code. 16-1-20.2, while also acknowledging that the judgment related to nonstatutory practices was not within the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction. A separate petition challenging the nonstatutory practices was denied. The Court’s jurisdiction was limited to the question of Ala. Code. 16-1-20.1, which allows for a minute of silence for meditation or silent prayer in public schools. The appellants framed their arguments around whether this statute predominantly promotes religious liberty rather than establishing religion, questioning its compatibility with the Establishment Clause. The Court's order clarified that it would only hear arguments related to the constitutionality of Ala. Code. 16-1-20.1, and Justice Stevens concurred with this focus.