In 1985, Bridget Mergens, as well as a group of several other students in Omaha, Nebraska requested to form a Christian bible study group in which they intended to hold meetings after school hours, on school grounds. To their surprise, the principal denied their request. He claimed that it was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In 1990, Bridget Mergens challenged her school’s decision to deny her request to form a religion based group on school grounds, and with the help of her lawyer, took them to court. There were mixed emotions about the Westside Vs. Mergens case, some siding with Mergens, while others chose the opposing opinion that the religious beliefs that are practiced within the group will directly affect the image of the school itself. Justice Thurgood Marshall writes that “The introduction of religious speech into the public schools reveals the tension between the Free Speech and Establishment Clauses, because the failure of a school to stand apart from religious speech can convey a message that the school endorses, rather than merely tolerates, that speech.” …show more content…
But this opinion only holds so much validity when considering those who argue that Mergens and others in her situation are being stripped of their rights to practice their religion freely, and so the argument goes; there is more to this particular case than many realize. Though it is true that the school may feel that the beliefs of this religious group could reflect on the school itself, it truly comes down to the rights of the individual themselves to openly practice their religious beliefs where they also attend