Roberts Backed Efforts for School Prayer

Washington Post ^ | 8/15/05 | Hope Yen

[Crackingham]

As a young government attorney, John Roberts advised the White House to support congressional efforts to allow school prayer, arguing that a Supreme Court ruling striking down the practice "seems indefensible."

In a Nov. 21, 1985 memo released Monday by the National Archives, Roberts was responding to a move by Congress to permit "group silent prayer or reflection in public schools." He said he would not object if Justice Department officials announced that President Reagan had no formal role in passing an amendment to that effect, but said he would support such a move.

The Supreme Court's conclusion that "the Constitution prohibits such a moment of silent reflection -- or even silent 'prayer' _ seems indefensible," Roberts wrote in a memo to White House counsel Fred Fielding.

That material was part of nearly 50,000 pages of records related to Roberts when he served in the White House counsel's office. Before their release, the documents were reviewed by the National Archives staff to protect material deemed sensitive for national security, privacy and law enforcement reasons.

Earlier, in a June 4, 1985 memo, Roberts argued that White House officials could exploit the Supreme Court's decision prohibiting school prayer. While justices struck down an Alabama statute mandating a one-minute moment of silence, "careful analysis shows" it was on technical grounds, he said.

Roberts said that a majority of justices would allow a similar law if it were worded more carefully to avoid expressing a religious purpose behind the measure.

The Alabama law was struck down because of the "peculiarities of the particular legislative history, not because of any inherent constitutional flaw in moment of silence statutes," Roberts wrote in a memo to Fielding regarding the Supreme Court decision in Wallace vs. Jaffree.

[George W. Bush]

School prayer is a rather odd issue in many ways.

The issue is intended to appeal to people who are religious enough to want their children to pray but who apparently don't pray with them at home before school. Or if they do pray at home with them, they would appear to want to see religious behavior modelled in the public schools.

I don't have anything against school prayer. But it's a minor political cause and is probably spiritually irrelevant.

[KeyWest]

Nah, Souter was on the board of two hospitals that performed abortions.

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Cool, Roberts performed abortions and drove the bomber's car to the clinics. Bet Souter was envious.

[SuziQ]

As a young government attorney, John Roberts advised the White House to support congressional efforts to allow school prayer, arguing that a Supreme Court ruling striking down the practice "seems indefensible."

Well, that's that, then. He is definitely NOT suitable for the Supremes! /sarc