The United States Senate employs a full-time chaplain. In describing the chaplain’s duties, the Senate’s official website (https://www.senate.gov) used to contain the following statement “Throughout the years, the United States Senate has honored the historic separation of Church and State, but not the separation of God and State. The first Senate, meeting in New York City on April 25, 1789, elected the Right Reverend Samuel Provost, the Episcopal Bishop of New York, as its first chaplain. Since then, all sessions of the Senate have been opened with prayer, strongly affirming the Senate’s faith in God as Sovereign Lord of our Nation.” Does this statement violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment? The paper should be 6-7 typed, double-spaced pages in length. Please use Times New Roman or a font of similar size, no larger than 12 pt. You may wish to use outside source material, but you do not have to do so. In writing about cases we have studied this semester, you may find it helpful to read the full opinion, including the full concurring and dissenting opinions, if any. You can find these at several sources, including www.findlaw.com and the NexisUni database, which is available through Cook library. The best way to make sure you are finding the right opinion is to use the case citation, rather than the case name.
Your essays are to be position or opinion papers. You are highly encouraged to formulate your own ideas and to come to some conclusions about the role and function of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, in political ideology, policy making, judicial activism vs. judicial restraint, or anything else you might wish to analyze. Your opinions must be fully documented by facts from the texts.
