In 1962, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that mandatory school prayer in public schools violates the constitutional prohibition against church and state. For many conservatives, that ruling triggered the start of the dreaded 1960's and all that came with it: free love, drugs, street crime, anti-war protests and God knows what else. The American right-wing has been trying to find ways to overcome that Supreme Court ruling ever since.

I would think that parents who want their kids praying to God would rather have them do it every morning before they get on the school bus. Who the hell wants a teacher to lead your kids in prayer? Don't conservatives want the government off our backs? Isn't a one-size-fits-all prayer inappropriate for some kids? And what about the Jewish kids?

The latest effort to bring prayer back into the public schools took place in Illinois, where the State legislature passed a law in October 2007 requiring a mandatory period of silence at the start of each school day. This was part of "The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act." Somebody thought this was a good idea. The court did not, and it struck down the law. Here's the decision.

The problem with the law, the court ruled, is that it gives students a choice between two options: silent reflection or prayer. We know this because the law mentions both options. By suggesting to students that they could use the moment of silence of prayer, the law violates the separation of church and state. The law is also vague in failing to outline how to implement its provisions, i.e., how long the period of silence and what happens to student who do not remain silent.

This was a close case, in my view. Schools are allowed to mandate a period of silence for reflection, whatever that means. The Supreme Court ruled years ago that periods of reflection do not necessarily require prayer. But that was nonsense. These "silent reflection" laws were passed only to get around the rules against school prayer. God knows what the kids are thinking during these silent moments, probably the math test they are about to fail.

The fine line between silent reflection and school prayer means that this story is not over. The school district will probably appeal the case, and it has Supreme Court written all over it. Its cases like this which could make a difference in a presidential election. Anyone taking bets on which presidential candidates will exploit this case in defending "traditional American values"?