Engel Vs Vitale I will write about how cases in the past have massively affected our lives today and how we do and say things. An important issue that we have faced and are still facing is the controversy over religion and how it affects our daily lives and our children. I have chosen to discuss a large and infamous U.S. Supreme Court case that was originally heard in 1960 in Hyde Park, New York. This brought the First Amendment and Education together for something that ultimately changed history and altered school mornings forever. Engel Vs Vitale was undoubtedly one of the biggest stories in the community. Church and state were suddenly tied together, and the legal and educational worlds were not in unison. It all began with an opening statement: “Almighty God, we recognize our dependence on You and ask Your blessing upon us, upon our parents, upon our teachers, and upon our country.” In 1958, five parents from the Long Island community filed a lawsuit to stop prayers from being used in schools. Two parents were Jewish; one parent was a Unitarian, one a member of the Ethical Culture Society, and a self-proclaimed atheist. The lawsuit initially failed. Judge Bernard S. Meyer found the prayer was religious but not in violation. Instead, Judge Meyer ordered schools to institute safeguards against “embarrassing and pressure” on children who did not wish to participate. The New York Appellate Division upheld this decision along with the state Court of Appeals, by a vote of 5 to 2. In 1960, Steven I. Engel, a Jewish parent from Long Island, was the plaintiff who complained that that the voluntary prayer written by the state board of regents of "Almighty God" challenged their religious beliefs. William J. Vitale Jr. was the president of The... middle of paper... a particular type of prayer or a particular form of religious services," Black wrote. "The ruling in Engel v. Vital 1962 The ruling sparked much dissent, as seen in this image of Texas high school students starting the day in prayer two days after the Court's decision. followed:1. Chief Judge Earl Warren2. Judge Hugo L. Black3. Judge William J. Brennan Jr.4. Judge William O. Douglas5. Judge John Marshall Harlan Jr.7 The ruling majority took precedence and was the deciding factor. The final decision resulted in a vote of 6-1 and the opinion was delivered by Judge Hugo Black. He delivered the news that the ruling was in favor of Mr. Steven Engel. Plaintiffs