The First Amendment does not require public schools to excuse students from saluting the American flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance on religious grounds. (Overruled by West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943)) Decided June 3, 1940 (argued April 25, 1940). Opinion of the Court: Felix Frankfurter → go there Dissenting: Stone. Overruled by West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, {{ussc|319|624|1943 → go there Applied: the First Amendment → go there Applied: the Fourteenth Amendment → go there Topic: Freedom of religion. Minersville School District v. Gobitis, 310 U.S. 586 (1940), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States restricting the religious rights of public school students under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Court ruled that public schools could compel students—in this case, Jehovah's Witnesses—to salute the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance despite the students' religious objections to these practices. This decision led to increased persecution of Witnesses in the United States. The Supreme Court overruled this decision three years later in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943). Wiki link