Washington (CNN) -- The Supreme Court declined to intervene Monday in a dispute over a public school's refusal to allow an instrument-only version of "Ave Maria" at a graduation ceremony. Officials feared the piece would be an endorsement of religion in that limited public forum.

Without comment, the justices rejected the appeal of Kathryn Nurre, who was a high school senior in Everett, Washington, in 2006. By tradition, graduating members of the school's wind ensemble could choose a piece from their repertoire to play at the June ceremony. They chose an arrangement of Franz Biebl's well-known "Ave Maria," which had been performed previously in choir recitals.

School district officials said they feared complaints similar to those that followed the previous year's choir performance of a vocal piece that included references to God, heaven and angels. "Ave Maria" was banned even though the performance would have contained no lyrics. More

Land of the free, home of the brave? hardly....