WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) let stand on Monday a ruling that students may offer group prayers at football games and other sports events, assemblies, graduations or other school-related ceremonies.
The high court refused to hear arguments that an Alabama law that allows prayers, invocations and benedictions, even over the school public address system and the classroom intercom, violates constitutional church-state separation.
The 1993 law specifies that elementary and high school students, rather than teachers or administrators, must initiate the prayer, which must be nonsectarian, and that students cannot proselytize.
The law permitting voluntary prayers was challenged by Michael Chandler, a former high school vice principal in DeKalb County, who filed the lawsuit on his behalf and that of his son, Jesse, who at the time was a public school student.
The justices rejected the appeal without any comment or dissent. It marked the second time the case had reached the Supreme Court.
A federal judge struck down the law as unconstitutional and issued an injunction barring its enforcement. But a U.S. appeals court in 1999 allowed the prayers.
The Supreme Court a year ago set aside that ruling and ordered the appeals court to further consider the case in light of a Supreme Court ruling striking down student-led prayers at football games.
Despite the high court's ruling, the appeals court once again upheld the prayers. It said the high court ruling condemned school sponsorship of student prayer while the appeals court condemned school censorship of student prayer.
The appeals court also said the Supreme Court did not reject the possibility of some private religious speech, even if it occurs in schools.
Attorneys for Chandler said the appeals court disregarded the high court's decision, and that the court's long-standing precedents command reversal of the ruling.
The Supreme Court in a 1992 ruling said public schools may not require prayers by clergy members at graduation ceremonies. That decision reaffirmed the Supreme Court's historic 1962 decision that barred organized, officially sponsored prayers in public school classrooms.
Attorneys for Alabama said the case became moot on May 23, when Jesse Chandler graduated from public high school. As a result, they urged the high court to deny the appeal.
They also argued that the appeals court decision ''faithfully applies'' Supreme Court precedents.