Obiter Dictum - Latin for "something said in passing." When judges put comments in opinions that are extraneous to the line of reasoning that leads to the decision in the case, the comments are said to be "obiter dictum" or "dicta".
The fact that America is a Christian nation is the basis for the Court's interpretation of the statute in question; it is not "dicta."
22 posted on 07/05/2004 2:59:37 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
(You CAN legislate morality.)