Lemon v. Kurtzman established the Lemon Test. Which option reflects the secular purpose?

• A. Secular legislative purpose
• B. Primary effect that advances religion
• C. Excessive entanglement with religion
• D. State endorsement of religion

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is separating the Lemon test’s requirement that a law must have a secular purpose from its other effects. Lemon v. Kurtzman set out a three-prong approach to Establishment Clause challenges, and the first prong asks whether the law was enacted with a secular, nonreligious purpose. If the law’s objective is religious, it fails this prong regardless of any neutral effects elsewhere in the statute.

So the best choice is the one describing a secular legislative purpose, because it directly reflects the requirement that the statute be aimed at a nonreligious goal. The other options relate to the other aspects of the Lemon test or related Establishment Clause concerns—whether the law’s primary effect advances religion, whether there is excessive entanglement with religion, or concepts about endorsement of religion—which are not about the law’s initial purpose.