Lemon v. Kurtzman

Established a three-pronged test to assess whether a law violates the Establishment Clause by examining whether the law has a secular legislative purpose, neither advances nor inhibits religion, and does not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.

ReligiousLiberty.TV
February 26, 2026
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Cite This Case
Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971).
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Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (U.S. Supreme Court, 1971). https://religiousliberty.tv/case-library/lemon-v-kurtzman/
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Lemon v. Kurtzman (403 U.S. 602) [U.S. Supreme Court, 1971] — Established a three-pronged test to assess whether a law violates the Establishment Clause by examining whether the law has a secular legislative purpose, neither advances nor inhibits religion, and does not foster excessive government entanglement with religion. Source: ReligiousLiberty.TV (https://religiousliberty.tv/case-library/lemon-v-kurtzman/, accessed April 10, 2026).
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Citation: 403 U.S. 602 Year: 1971 Court: U.S. Supreme Court
Holding: Established a three-pronged test to assess whether a law violates the Establishment Clause by examining whether the law has a secular legislative purpose, neither advances nor inhibits religion, and does not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.
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Lemon v. Kurtzman (403 U.S. 602) is a Church & State case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971. The court held that established a three-pronged test to assess whether a law violates the Establishment Clause by examining whether the law has a secular legislative purpose, neither advances nor inhibits religion, and does not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.