American United for Separation of Church and State released a statement following the death of Senator Ted Kennedy commending him for his defense of Church-State separation:

“Sen. Ted Kennedy was a great champion of church-state separation. It’s not just that he consistently voted to support that principle – he really got it. He deeply understood that only a high and firm wall of separation between church and state could protect our liberties. He knew the reasons why our Founders established church-state separation and why we need to preserve it. He got how church-state separation protects the rights of both religious and non-religious people.”

…

“When Sen. Jesse Helms tried to push a school prayer amendment through the Senate, Ted Kennedy stood up to block it. When President Ronald Reagan sought to put Robert Bork on the Supreme Court, Ted Kennedy led the charge to stop him. When bills were introduced in Congress to fund religious schools with tax funds, Ted Kennedy was the first to speak up in opposition.”

(See the full statement)

We could use more legislators like that.