Eric L. Clay Quotes
There is no neutral aid when that aid principally flows to religious institutions nor is there truly “private choice” when the available choices resulting from the program are predominantly religious.
Eric L. Clay, Federal Judge (Republican), Simmons-Harris v. Zelman, December 2000
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Kennedy did favor Federal Aid to Parochial Schools for schoolbooks and bussing as these were “social services.”
Lopez and Elizer were Jews who had escaped the persecution in Portugal to come to America. They and other non-Christians could live and work in Rhode Island but could not vote or hold public office by a previous decision of the Rhode Island Assembly. See {619707}.The Jews had petitioned for their civil rights.
Religious organizations may become grantees or contractors to perform various social services—along with other non-profit organizations provided, that they do not comingle the government contract money with the general church funds, that the services that are provided are provided to all regardless of religious beliefs, and that there is no religious ceremony or indoctrination in the provision of services. Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army are two of the larger religious organizations that receive government funds for general service provision. Those religions who do not want Federal Auditors reviewing their use of the money or who insist that prayer is a necessary aspect of the social services are the ones who have trouble and accuse the government of being hostile to religious social services.
While this principle is very clear to us today, and was to the people who originally ratified The Constitution, there were many attempts by Christian groups to establish a privileged position for Christianity. For example, for years the Sunday Sabbath was legally enforced by unconstitutional Blue Laws that prohibited businesses from operating on the Christian Sabbath and prohibited activities that compete with Sunday church attendance. Supreme Court Justice Story even argued that the First Amendment allowed Christian religious supremacy and Cooley wrote this to refute Story’s now discredited doctrine.
The State of New Jersey reimbursed parents of public and private school children when the children took public transportation to school. Parents of religious school children wanted the same reimbursement. The Court would not allow that. The vote was 5-4.
The State of Connecticut voted for disestablishment—no longer supporting an established church. There were many religious people who saw this as a calamity for religion and the churches. Lyman in retrospect had a different view. Father of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher
Eric Lee Clay is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
