The Establishment Question: Should the Town of Greece Ruling Worry Religious Minorities?

by Joseph D. Becker On a recent visit to a local post office in Westchester, I was surprised to see, on the counter facing the public, a statuette of a crucifix. I called the supervisor to point out that, under the American rule that separates church and state, it was improper to display a crucifix in a federal facility. “Yes,” he said, “but is that all you have to worry about?” He made light of the matter. Nevertheless, a few days later the statuette was gone. The incident brought to mind a recent decision of the Supreme Court that would have encouraged the postman in his error. Last May, the Supreme Court rendered a decision, by a vote of 5-4, that should trouble Jews and other religious minorities. The response has been surprisingly muted. The court held that...

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