Lemon v. Kurtzman
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Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) was a landmark Supreme Court decision marking a victory for the liberal interpretation of separation of church and state. The decision established a test called the "Lemon Test" which may be used to to determine whether or not federal funds may be appropriated to be spent at a Catholic or other parochial school.
Under the "Lemon Test," to pass constitutional muster as a law that does not violate the Establishment Clause, a law must:
- Have a legitimate secular purpose, and,
- Not have the primary effect of either inhibiting or advancing religion, and,
- Not promote excessive entanglement between church & state.
Any law can be invalidated on any one of the above three requirements of the Lemon Test.
The "Lemon Test" was the one applied to invalidate the Dover School Board's intelligent design policy in Kitzmiller v. Dover Independent School District.