Selected Supreme Court Cases on Religion
Before 1900
- Vidal v. Girard's Executors (1844): Teaching of the New Testament as divine revelation in public schools
- Reynolds v. United States (1878): Polygamy in conflict with state law
- Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States (1892): Legality of importing foreigners to work for a recognized religious society, in conflict with existing law forbidding importation of workers
- Bradfield v. Roberts (1899): Funding for a Catholic hospital in the District of Columbia
1900 - 1909
1910 - 1919
1920 - 1929
- Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925): Oregon law impacting the rights of parents to control their children's upbringing and education
- Farrington v. Tokushige (1927): The School Act and its effects on private schools
- United States v. Schwimmer (1929): Conflict between pacifism and a citizen's duty to defend the country by force of arms if necessary
1930 - 1939
- United States v. MacIntosh (1931): Denial of an application for naturalization to a Canadian who would only fight in a "morally justified war"
- Hamilton v. Regents of University of California (1934): Rights of a conscientious objector to refuse to pay taxes that would fund a war he or she views as irreligious or immoral
- Lovell v. City of Griffin (1938): Review of a city law prohibiting the distribution of religious literature
- Schneider v. State (1939): Power of a New Jersey municipality to compel fraudulent appeals in the name of charity and religion to be presented first to police authorities
1940 - 1949
- Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940): The ability of states to prohibit the free exercise of religion
- Cox v. New Hampshire (1941): Review of Jehovah's Witnesses convicted for holding a public parade without a licence
- Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942): The exercise of religion and the cursing of a public officer
- Jones v. Opelika I (1942): Review of law prohibiting the sale of religious literature without a license
- Jamison v. Texas (1943): Denial of freedom of the press and of religion by a Texas handbill ordinance
- Murdock v. Pennsylvania (1943): Review of a license tax levied on the exercise of a religious act by a Pennsylvania ordinance
- United States v. Ballard (1944): Ability of a jury to convict a defendant based partly on his or her religious convictions
- Follett v. Town of McCormick (1944): Requirement to obtain licensing fees and pay taxes to those who sell or distribute religious materials for a living
- Prince v. Massachusetts (1944): Massachusetts law prohibiting children from selling religious literature
- Chatwin v. United States (1946): Review of a conviction of a 68-year-old polygamist charged with kidnapping a 15-year-old girl who was the mother of his child
- Cleveland v. United States (1946): Relationship between polygamy and the Mann Act, which prohibits the interstate transport of any female for prostitution, debauchery or other immoral purposes
- Everson v. Board of Education (1947): Judgment on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
- McCollum v. Board of Education (1948): Prevented religious instruction on school property during school day
1950 - 1959
- Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson (1952): New York Education Law prohibiting the commercial showing of any motion picture deemed "sacrilegious" found unconstitutional
- Kedroff v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral (1952): Power of the New York state legislature to pass a law designating which religious group may control a church
- Fowler v. Rhode Island (1953): Review of Rhode Island law which penalizes a Jehovah's Witnesses minister, and not ministers of other faiths, from conducting a peaceful religious meeting in a public park
1960 - 1969
- McGowan v. Maryland (1961): Sunday closing laws and the First and Fourteenth Amendments
- Torcaso v. Watkins (1961): Challenge to Maryland law requiring belief in God to hold public office
- Braunfeld v. Brown (1961): Challenge to Pennsylvania's blue laws by an Orthodox Jew
- Engel v. Vitale (1962): Power of state officials to write an official state prayer and require its recitation in state public schools at the beginning of each day
- School District of Abington Township v. Schempp (1963): Requiring Bible reading or recitation of Lord's Prayer at beginning of school day, even if students do not have to participate
- Sherbert v. Verner (1963): The impact of a person's refusal to work on the Sabbath to their right to unemployment benefits
- Chamberlin v. Public Instruction Board (1964): Bible reading and prayer in public schools required by Florida law challenged
- United States v. Seeger (1965): The religious belief test of the conscientious objector exemption applied to persons who do not believe in God
- Board of Education v. Allen (1968): Review of New York law mandating that public school districts purchase text books for private schools, which includes religiously-affiliated schools
- Epperson v. Arkansas (1968): Review of Arkansas statute prohibiting any state-supported school or university from using a textbook that endorses evolution
- Presbyterian Church v. Hull Church (1969): Challenge to Georgia law giving juries power to make decisions involving theological disputes within churches
1970 - 1979
- Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of NY (1970): Tax exemptions for churches
- Welsh v. United States (1970): Rights of a non-religious "conscientious objector"
- Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971): Teacher pay increases and the entanglement of government and religion
- Cruz v. Beto (1972): Challenge by Buddhist prisoner claiming that it is more difficult to pursue his faith in prison than it is for followers of more conventional religions
- Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972): Conflict between Wisconsin's compulsory education law and the free exercise of religion for Amish citizens
- Committee for Public Education v. Nyquist (1973): Challenge to three sections of a New York law providing benefits to children in religious schools
- Meek v. Pittenger (1975): Challenge to two Pennsylvania laws that gave materials and equipment to religious schools
- Wolman v. Walters (1977): Distribution of standardized tests and other services to private school children by public schools examined in Ohio
- McDaniel v. Paty (1978): Tennessee law barring ministers or priests from holding public office reviewed
1980 - 1989
- Stone v. Graham (1980): Copies of the Ten Commandments purchased with private money posted in Kentucky public schools found unconstitutional
- Widmar v. Vincent (1981): Equal access to university facilities between religious student groups and nonreligious student groups
- Larson v. Valente (1982): Challenge to Minnesota law that placed greater burdens on non-traditional religious groups
- United States v. Lee (1982): Constitutionality of social security taxes levied against persons who object to public insurance programs on religious grounds
- Mueller v. Allen (1983): Review of tax deductions in Minnesota for parents of children in private schools
- Marsh v. Chambers (1983): Challenge to the chaplaincy of the Nebraska Legislature
- Lynch v. Donnelly (1984): Rights of a nonprofit organization to exhibit a Christmas display in a park that they own
- Wallace v. Jaffree (1985): Challenge to Alabama law authorizing a one-minute for "meditation or voluntary prayer" in all public schools
- Estate of Thornton v. Caldor (1985): Review of law requiring employers to give their employees the day off on their chosen day of worship
- Goldman v. Weinberger (1986): Military dress code prohibiting yarmulkes challenged by Orthodox Jewish soldier
- Bowen v. Roy (1986): Religiously based objection to the requirement of a Social Security number in order to receive certain welfare benefits
- Edwards v. Aguillard (1987): Challenge to Louisiana's "Creationism Act," which prohibits teaching of evolution in public schools unless accompanied by teaching of "creation science;"
- Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetary (1988): Decision on the construction of a road built through sacred Indian lands
- Bowen v. Kendrick (1988): Use of federal funds for counseling conducted by religious organizations
- County of Allegheny v. ACLU (1989): Display of a nativity scene and a menorah on public grounds in Allegheny County
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School v. Grumet (1989): Challenge to drawing of a school district boundary allegedly drawn to aid a religious group
- Texas Monthly, Inc. v. Bullock (1989): Constitutionality of tax exemptions for religious publications
1990 - 1999
- Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith (1990): Challenge on religious grounds to Oregon law prohibiting drug use
- Lee v. Weisman (1992): The Establishment Clause and prayer at a public school graduation
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993): Legality of a religious sect's practice of animal sacrifices
- Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District (1993): Case of a student in a private religious school requesting a sign language interpreter from the local school district
- Agostini v. Felton (1997): Right of public school teachers to tutor private school students in their private religious schools
2000 -
- Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000): Examination of official, student-led prayers before school football games
- Mitchell v. Helms (2000): Distribution of educational materials and equipment from state to religious schools, even if this is used for religious purposes
- Zelman, Superintendent of Public Instruction of Ohio v. Simmons-Harris (2002): Use of public funds to subsidize education at religious-affiliated schools
- Locke, Governor of Washington v. Davey (2004): Power of the state to withhold merit-based scholarships from students seeking divinity or ministry degrees
