Prayer In Public Schools

Jason Bachand has posted on the current hearing concerning Jessica Ahlquist's legal battle against Cranston (RI) High School West over the unconstitutional hanging of a Christian banner in the school's auditorium.  Hemant Mehta has posted a summary of Jason's report, which included this gem:

There’s an old saying in legal practice: “When the facts are on your side, pound the facts. When the law is on your side, pound the law. When neither the law nor the facts are on your side, pound the table.” Defense counsel Cavanagh did a lot of table pounding today, evoking the false memory of a bygone time when — evidently — everyone was a Christian and things were somehow simpler (through conformity? One wonders). It may have been typical to pray in public schools at some point in our nation’s history, but during that same era it was likewise customary to segregate schools, buses, and restaurants. Regarding segregation, most of us would likely say “We know better now.” How can it be that unconstitutional and discriminatory religious beliefs — publicly endorsed — are any different? We really ought to know better by now.