Pennsylvania Law on Bible Reading in Schools Ruled Unconstituticnal

A special three-judge Federal court ruled here today that the Pennsylvania law on Bible reading in public schools was unconstitutional, In the unanimous decision, the court outlawed the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer as part of Bible reading practices in public schools of the state.

The suit originally had been brought by Edward L. Schemp of Roslyn, a Unitarian, and the law was ruled unconstitutional by a Federal court here. The law was then amended to permit pupils to be excused from participation in the classroom readings. The defendants were the School District in Abington Township and Charles H. Boehm, superintendent of public instruction in Pennsylvania.

After the law was amended, the Philadelphia ruling was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which sent the suit back to Philadelphia for further consideration because of the amendment.

Two Jewish organizations, the Philadelphia Jewish Community Council and the American Jewish Congress, filed briefs as friends of the court in the hearing. The JCRC has contended that the growth of both religion and democratic society was best fostered in the home and houses of worship. The Congress brief challenged the practices as “religious intrusions barred under the constitution.”

(In New York, the American Jewish Congress hailed today’s ruling by the Federal Distriet Court against Bible reading in Pennsylvania public schools as a “major victory for religious freedom.” The decision is expected to be appealed again to the U.S. Supreme Court in time for it to act on the question before its June adjournment.)