The American Jewish Congress reported today that 31 cases involving disputes over church-state relations were awaiting decisions in Federal and state courts, the largest number of them–13– involving the issue of public aid to sectarian schools. The information was contained in a report of a national survey conducted by the AJCongress’ Commission and Law and Social Action which was released by George Soll, Commission chairman. The report also asserted that there was “greater compliance” with the Supreme Court’s decisions of 1963 barring religious practices in public schools than with the Court’s 1954 decision outlawing racial segregation in schools. Mr. Soll said the cases concerning state aid to parochial schools all revolved around the First Amendment which says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Leo Pfeffer, special counsel to the AJCongress, said that while many rural communities, particularly in the South, disregarded the Court’s ban on Bible reading in public schools, the incidence of defiance was “minor” compared with “the tremendous extent of complying with the rulings in every major city.”
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