CHRISTIAN NEWS: Public school 'silence' ruled constitutional

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March 19, 2009

Public school 'silence' ruled constitutional
1 minute 'is not government endorsement of religion'

WorldNetDaily

A federal appeals court has upheld the observance of one minute of silence following the Pledge of Allegiance for students in public schools in Texas, affirming that the practice is not an unconstitutional endorsement either of religious or non-religious activities.

"The statute is facially neutral between religious and non-religious activities that students can choose to engage in during the moment of silence," said the ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "As Justice O'Connor stated in her 'Wallace' concurrence: 'It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful school children.'"

The 5th Circuit ruling came in a case in which the non-profit Alliance Defense Fund filed a friend-of-the-court brief.

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