[general_re]

But Lemon had nothing to do with the 14th amendment, so how's that going to help me?

Gotta connect the dots. Rulings that apply the First to the states via the 14'th, particularly the establishment clause, plus a ruling that lays out the standard for determining if something runs afoul of that clause. Put it all together, and what do you end up with?

Roy Moore in hot water, that's what...

[jwalsh07]

The 14th Amendment was never intended to be applied to the establlishment clause as evidenced by the 16 attempts after it's ratification to amend the Constitution applying the First Amendment to the states. It failed every time, never got out of Congress.

[inquest]

Rulings that apply the First to the states via the 14'th, particularly the establishment clause...

...are invalid if they can't explain their reasoning. If they can't explain how actions of the type Moore took violate the actual provisions of the 14th amendment - and none of the ones you cited even attempted to do so - then they don't have a leg to stand on. Of course, they have the raw force of the state, but I thought we were supposed to have "evolved" beyond the notion that might makes right.