May 16, 2003

VMI Prayer Ruled Unconstitutional

By JEFFREY SELINGO

The Virginia Military Institute's 50-year tradition of praying before dinner violates the U.S. Constitution's separation of church and state, a federal appeals court ruled last month.

The unanimous decision by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower-court decision in the case, which was brought against the state-financed institution by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of two cadets.

"Simply put, VMI's prayer exacts an

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