Engel vs. Vitale I will write about how past cases have massively affected our lives today and how we do and say things. A major issue we have faced and still face is the controversy over religion and how it affects our daily lives and the lives of our children. I have chosen to discuss an important and notorious case before the United States Supreme Court that was first heard in 1960 in Hyde Park, New York. It brought the First Amendment and education together for something that ultimately changed history and forever altered school mornings. Engel Vs Vitale was hands down one of the biggest stories in the community. Church and state were suddenly linked 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 we implore Your blessing upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. » In 1958, five parents from the Long Island community sued to stop prayers being used in schools. Two parents were Jewish; one parent was a Unitarian, a member of the Ethical Culture Society, and a self-proclaimed atheist. At first, the trial failed. Judge Bernard S. Meyer found the prayer religious but not contrary to the law. Instead, Judge Meyer ordered schools to put in place safeguards against "embarrassing pressure" on children who did not wish to participate. The New York Appellate Division upheld this decision, as did 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 the voluntary prayer written by the State Board of Regents to "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 case of Engel v. Vitale of 1962 The decision sparked much dissent, as shown in this image of Texas high school students beginning the day in prayer two days after the Court's decision. "The Supreme Court justices involved in this case consisted of seven men to make the final decision and they are listed as follows: 1. Chief Justice Earl Warren2. Justice Hugo L. Black3. Justice William J. Brennan Jr.4. Justice Tom C. Clark6. The ruling majority prevailed and was the final decision by a vote of 6 to 1. Judge Hugo Black announced that the decision was in favor of Mr. Steven Engel.