Freedom of Religion/Limitations - Restrictions/Jurisprudence: Difference between revisions

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|questionHeading=Under American jurisprudence, what permissible exceptions exist?
|questionHeading=Under American jurisprudence, what permissible exceptions exist?
|pageLevel=Question
|pageLevel=Question
|contents=
|contents=The Supreme Court ruled in Employment Division v. Smith (1990) that the First Amendment does not provide for religious exemptions to a generally applicable law. In the case, a Native American was fired from his job and denied unemployment benefits for using Peyote, a substance sometimes smoked during religious ceremonies. The court had previously ruled in Sherbert v. Verner (1963) that the First Amendment does provide for that type of exception unless there is a compelling reason to enforce the law anyway (Munoz 2008, 1083). However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal (2006) appears to undermine this ruling. In that case, a religious group claimed the right to use a drug called hoasca. The Supreme Court held that, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the government is obligated to grant religious exemptions to general laws unless the government can demonstrate a compelling state interest in regulating the drug’s religious use (“Gonzales v. Centro”). Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many governments to limit religious gatherings. For example, at the outset of the pandemic, Maryland banned gatherings of more than ten people, including religious services (Pitts 2020). Ensuring Success of a Government Operation: In Goldman v. Weinberger (1986), the court upheld an Air Force ban on headgear, which was challenged by an Orthodox Jew seeking to wear a yarmulke while on duty. The court found that the Air Force had a legitimate interest in ensuring obedience and conformity (“Landmark”). Non-Discrimination Law (a notable non-exception): In a landmark case, Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ( 2017), the Supreme Court decided that Colorado anti-discrimination law could not compel a baker to violate his religious beliefs by baking a cake for a same-sex wedding (“Masterpiece”).
The Supreme Court ruled in ​Employment Division v. Smith ([[Probable year::1990]]) that the First Amendment does not provide for religious exemptions to a generally applicable law. In the case, a Native American was fired from his job and denied unemployment benefits for using Peyote, a substance sometimes smoked during religious ceremonies. The court had previously ruled in ​Sherbert v. Verner​ ([[Probable year::1963]]) that the First Amendment does provide for that type of exception unless there is a compelling reason to enforce the law anyway (Munoz [[Probable year::2008]], [[Probable year::1083]]) .
However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in ​Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal​ ([[Probable year::2006]]) appears to undermine this ruling. In that case, a religious group claimed the right to use a drug called hoasca. The Supreme Court held that, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the government is obligated to grant religious exemptions to general laws unless the government can demonstrate a compelling state interest in regulating the drug’s religious use (“Gonzales v. Centro”).
Pandemic: ​The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many governments to limit religious gatherings. For example, at the outset of the pandemic, Maryland banned gatherings of more than ten people, including religious services (Pitts [[Probable year::2020]]) .
Ensuring Success of a Government Operation​: In ​Goldman v. Weinberger ([[Probable year::1986]]) , the court upheld an Air Force ban on headgear, which was challenged by an Orthodox Jew seeking to wear a yarmulke while on duty. The court found that the Air Force had a legitimate interest in ensuring obedience and conformity (“Landmark”).
Non-Discrimination Law (a notable non-exception): In a landmark case, ​Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (​ [[Probable year::2017]]) , the Supreme Court decided that Colorado anti-discrimination law could not compel a baker to violate his religious beliefs by baking a cake for a same-sex wedding (“Masterpiece”).


Munoz:
REFERENCES:
https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=9420940680730001010910981140831230860340 08059068089043102127107104085000073089113076103052038060105029109003069066[[Probable year::1211]]  201080260520780270280480911210290090881160250670750410221101001200720910030790 82021094097027125023004126080023120030064020093085097&EXT=pdf


“Landmark”: ​https://billofrightsinstitute.org/cases/
Evaldo Xavier Gomes, “The Implementation of Inter-American Norms on Freedom of Religion in the National Legislation of OAS Member States,” BYU Law Review, 2009,  Issue 3 Article 5, 9-1-2009


“Gonzalez v. Centro”: ​https://www.oyez.org/cases/[[Probable year::2005]]/ 04-[[Probable year::1084]]
Muñoz, Vincent Phillip, The Original Meaning of the Free Exercise Clause: The Evidence from the First Congress (2008). Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 1083-1120, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1150780
   
   
“Masterpiece”: ​https://www.oyez.org/cases/[[Probable year::2017]]/ 16-111
“Landmark”: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/cases/
 
Gomes: https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=[[Probable year::2450]]& context=lawreview
 
Koev: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=bb31 f9a9-0997-4bb0-a34c-eeb97b46b9c7%40sdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2Z Q%3d%3d#AN=13678[[Probable year::2604]]& db=asn


“Gonzalez v. Centro”: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2005/04-1084


“Masterpiece”: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/16-111
}}
}}

Latest revision as of 11:53, 27 February 2023

Under American jurisprudence, what permissible exceptions exist?

The Supreme Court ruled in Employment Division v. Smith (1990) that the First Amendment does not provide for religious exemptions to a generally applicable law. In the case, a Native American was fired from his job and denied unemployment benefits for using Peyote, a substance sometimes smoked during religious ceremonies. The court had previously ruled in Sherbert v. Verner (1963) that the First Amendment does provide for that type of exception unless there is a compelling reason to enforce the law anyway (Munoz 2008, 1083). However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal (2006) appears to undermine this ruling. In that case, a religious group claimed the right to use a drug called hoasca. The Supreme Court held that, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the government is obligated to grant religious exemptions to general laws unless the government can demonstrate a compelling state interest in regulating the drug’s religious use (“Gonzales v. Centro”). Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many governments to limit religious gatherings. For example, at the outset of the pandemic, Maryland banned gatherings of more than ten people, including religious services (Pitts 2020). Ensuring Success of a Government Operation: In Goldman v. Weinberger (1986), the court upheld an Air Force ban on headgear, which was challenged by an Orthodox Jew seeking to wear a yarmulke while on duty. The court found that the Air Force had a legitimate interest in ensuring obedience and conformity (“Landmark”). Non-Discrimination Law (a notable non-exception): In a landmark case, Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ( 2017), the Supreme Court decided that Colorado anti-discrimination law could not compel a baker to violate his religious beliefs by baking a cake for a same-sex wedding (“Masterpiece”).

REFERENCES:

Evaldo Xavier Gomes, “The Implementation of Inter-American Norms on Freedom of Religion in the National Legislation of OAS Member States,” BYU Law Review, 2009, Issue 3 Article 5, 9-1-2009

Muñoz, Vincent Phillip, The Original Meaning of the Free Exercise Clause: The Evidence from the First Congress (2008). Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 1083-1120, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1150780

“Landmark”: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/cases/

“Gonzalez v. Centro”: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2005/04-1084

“Masterpiece”: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/16-111