Challenges to the Constitutionality of the government being run by Christian principles continued throughout the late 1800’s finally arrived at the Supreme Court. In the case of Reynolds v. United States, 1878, the court pulled out Jefferson’s speech in its entirety and confirmed that Jefferson also said that Christian principles were never to be separated from government. The Supreme Court used Jefferson’s speech for the next 15 years to make sure that Christian principles stayed part of government.

It remained this way until 1947, when, in the first time in the Supreme Court’s history, the court used only 8 words out of Jefferson’s speech.

The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. - Everson v. Board of Education, 1947, First time in the Supreme Court’s history, the court used only 8 words out of Jefferson’s speech.

Source unknown