led ▁prayer ▁at ▁the ▁football ▁games ▁was ▁un const itution al . ▁ ▁The ▁majority ▁opinion , ▁written ▁by ▁Justice ▁Stevens , ▁dep ended ▁on ▁Lee ▁v . ▁We is man . ▁It ▁held ▁that ▁these ▁pre - game ▁pray ers ▁delivered ▁" on ▁school ▁property , ▁at ▁school - sp ons ored ▁events , ▁over ▁the ▁school ' s ▁public ▁address ▁system , ▁by ▁a ▁speaker ▁representing ▁the ▁student ▁body , ▁under ▁the ▁super vision ▁of ▁school ▁fac ulty , ▁and ▁purs u ant ▁to ▁a ▁school ▁policy ▁that ▁explicitly ▁and ▁implicitly ▁encourag es ▁public ▁prayer " ▁are ▁not ▁private , ▁but ▁public ▁speech . ▁" Reg ard less ▁of ▁the ▁listener ' s ▁support ▁for , ▁or ▁ob jection ▁to , ▁the ▁message , ▁an ▁objective ▁Santa ▁Fe ▁High ▁School ▁student ▁will ▁un question ably ▁perce ive ▁the ▁in ev itable ▁pre game ▁prayer ▁as ▁stamp ed ▁with ▁her ▁school ' s ▁se al ▁of ▁appro val ." ▁ ▁A ▁diss ent ing ▁opinion ▁was ▁written ▁by ▁Chief ▁Justice ▁Re hn qu ist , ▁joined ▁by ▁Just ices ▁S cal ia ▁and ▁Thomas . ▁His ▁diss ent ▁assert ed ▁that ▁the ▁majority ▁opinion ▁" br ist les ▁with ▁host ility ▁to ▁all ▁things ▁religious ▁in ▁public ▁life ". ▁His ▁material ▁ob jections ▁were , ▁first ▁that ▁the ▁policy ▁on ▁which ▁the ▁Court ▁has ▁now ▁ruled ▁had ▁not ▁yet ▁been ▁put ▁into ▁practice . ▁"[ T ] he ▁question ▁is ▁not ▁whether ▁the ▁district ' s ▁policy ▁may ▁be ▁applied ▁in ▁viol