Legal Definitions - church and state

Church and State is a legal doctrine that separates religion from government in the United States. This means that the government cannot establish or promote any religion, and individuals have the right to practice any religion they choose, or no religion at all.

For example, the government cannot force people to go to church or to believe in a certain religion. It also cannot give special treatment to one religion over another. This is important because it allows people to have freedom of religion and prevents the government from favoring one religion over another.

The idea of Church and State comes from the US Supreme Court case Everson v. Board of Education. In this case, the court ruled that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution means that there must be a "wall of separation" between Church and State.