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Quotation from Zelman v. Simmons-Harris by Supreme Court of the United States
“If there were an excuse for giving short shrift to the Establishment Clause, it would probably apply here. But there is no excuse. Constitutional limitations are placed on government to preserve constitutional values in hard cases, like these.”
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, Dissent of Justice Souter (excerpt) (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource))
Justice Souter, for four dissenters, acknowledges the crisis in Cleveland's schools while insisting the constitutional limit still applies.
Citation: "If there were an excuse for giving short shrift to the Establishment Clause, it would probably apply here. But there is no excuse. Constitutional limitations are placed on government to preserve constitutional values in hard cases, like these." — Supreme Court of the United States, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, Dissent of Justice Souter (excerpt) (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource)). (id zelman-v-simmons-harris-q4)
Portrait: William Rehnquist, Unknown, Public domain.
