VMI Prayer

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4th Circuit Rules VMI Prayer Unconstitutional

Special Report - April 29, 2003
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court Appeals in Richmond, Virginia has ruled that the Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) tradition of having the cadet chaplain read a prayer before dinner is unconstitutional. Representing the school in court, the state of Virginia had argued that the prayer was permissible because cadets were not required to participate. The panel disagreed saying that the school’s adversarial method of teaching forces its student to participate in activities including the dinner prayer saying, “VMI's cadets are plainly coerced into participating in a religious exercise. Because of VMI's coercive atmosphere, the Establishment Clause precludes school officials from sponsoring an official prayer.” The ACLU argued the case for two cadets who challenged the school’s practice. Virginia’s attorney general has announced that he would petition the full 4th Circuit to hear the case.