How SCOTUS Is Dismantling Separation of Church and State

This past term, the U.S. Supreme Court further undermined one of the most sacred tenets of American democracy: the separation of church and state. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Together, these two clauses safeguard religious freedom by ensuring that the government can neither favor nor disfavor a given religion. The American promise of freedom of religion has allowed a panoply of faiths—Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Shintoism, Islam, and more—to flourish in this country. Unfortunately, Chief Justice John Roberts’ court has steadily weakened this cherished constitutional principle over the past decade, creating a system in which religion and government are not separate but instead increasingly intertwined.