Van Orden v. Perry

Van Orden v. Perry was a 2005 Supreme Court case that examined whether a large Christian holiday display on the Texas State Capitol grounds violated the First Amendment’s prohibition on government endorsement of religion. The Court ultimately ruled in favor of the display, ruling that it was a permissible recognition of history and culture, given the context, public history, and lack of coercion, thus not a violation of the separation of church and state. This case distinguished it from other cases by emphasizing the importance of context, historical tradition, and the display’s purpose.