free-exercise

112 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25A810 Elizabeth Mirabelli, et al. v. Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California, et al. Ninth Circuit 2026-01-13 Application Amici (9) california-education free-exercise opt-out-policies parental-rights religious-liberty substantive-due-process Whether the Free Exercise Clause and Substantive Due Process protect parents' rights to opt out of state-mandated educational policies that conflict w…
25-802 Foothills Christian Ministries, et al. v. Kim Johnson, in Her Official Capacity as Director of the California Department of Social Services, et al. Ninth Circuit 2026-01-07 Pending Amici (6)Response RequestedResponse Waived child-care-act compelled-speech first-amendment free-exercise religious-services zauderer-review Does California's religious services provision compel speech in violation of the First Amendment and interfere with free exercise rights of parochial …
25-5869 Lance Shockley v. Richard Adams, Warden, et al. Eighth Circuit 2025-10-13 Denied IFP death-penalty free-exercise missouri-law ramirez-precedent religious-rights spiritual-advisor Does the State of Missouri's decision to deny a condemned his choice of spiritual advisor solely on the basis of the individual's familial relationshi…
25A322 We The Patriots USA, Inc., et al v. Ventura Unified School District, et al. Ninth Circuit 2025-09-19 Presumed Complete fetal-cell-lines first-amendment free-exercise religious-exemption school-attendance vaccination-mandate Whether California's mandatory school vaccination requirements violate the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause by excluding a student from school d…
25-5636 Gordon M. Mayhew v. Arizona Arizona 2025-09-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process first-amendment free-exercise probation-conditions rehabilitation religious-liberty Whether a state may compel secular therapy while refusing to credit an equivalent faith-based program under the Free Exercise Clause and Due Process
25-125 Kim Davis v. David Ermold, et al. Sixth Circuit 2025-08-01 Denied Amici (4)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) constitutional-defenses emotional-distress first-amendment free-exercise government-official tort-liability Whether the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause provides an affirmative defense to tort liability based solely on emotional distress damages with no …
25-122 David Alan Carmichael, et al. v. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, et al. District of Columbia 2025-07-31 Denied Response Waived damages-liability due-process free-exercise official-capacity religious-freedom right-to-travel Does the 'appropriate relief' of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act allow for damages liability or nominal damages against the United States for br…
24-1261 Cambridge Christian School, Inc. v. Florida High School Athletic Association, Inc. Eleventh Circuit 2025-06-10 Denied Amici (24)Response RequestedRelisted (2) establishment-clause free-exercise free-speech government-speech religious-liberty santa-fe-doctrine Whether Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe compels a finding of government speech where two private Christian schools sought to engage in com…
24A621 Jason Orlando Rios v. Florida Florida 2024-12-23 Presumed Complete execution-protocol first-amendment free-exercise prison-rights religious-accommodation spiritual-advisor Whether a state prison's denial of religious accommodation for an inmate's spiritual advisor during execution violates the First Amendment's Free Exer…
24-6169 Deandre Johnson v. Chadwick Dotson, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections Fourth Circuit 2024-12-18 Denied IFP civil-rights constitutional-claim first-amendment free-exercise prisoner-rights religious-accommodation Whether a Virginia prisoner's First Amendment free exercise claim was improperly dismissed by lower courts when he was denied religious accommodations
24A264 St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Gentner Drummond, Attorney General of Oklahoma, ex rel. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2024-09-13 Presumed Complete educational-funding first-amendment free-exercise religious-school school-choice state-funding Whether a state may constitutionally deny a religious school's application for a generally available educational funding program based solely on its r…
24-221 Douglas Alan Dyson v. Whitley County Regional Water & Sewer District, et al. Indiana 2024-08-29 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) constitutional-rights first-amendment free-exercise judicial-proceeding jurisdictional-authority summary-judgment Whether Judge Rentschler violated constitutional rights by denying judicial proceedings, granting summary judgment without constitutional oath, and in…
24A110 Apache Stronghold v. United States, et al. Ninth Circuit 2024-07-30 Presumed Complete free-exercise government-property native-american-rights religious-burden rfra sacred-site Whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and Free Exercise Clause protect Native American religious sites from government-authorized destr…
24A94 Tamer Mahmoud, et al. v. Thomas W. Taylor, et al. Fourth Circuit 2024-07-26 Presumed Complete accommodation constitutional-rights first-amendment free-exercise religious-liberty school-board Whether a public school board's policy or practice violates the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause by substantially burdening religious expression…
24A90 Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, et al. v. Adrienne A. Harris, Superintendent, New York Department of Financial Services, et al. New York 2024-07-25 Presumed Complete abortion-coverage employment-regulation first-amendment free-exercise health-insurance religious-exemption Whether a state law mandating abortion coverage in employee health plans violates the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause by imposing a narrow reli…
24A64 Grace Bible Fellowship, et al. v. Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, et al. Tenth Circuit 2024-07-19 Presumed Complete covid-restrictions first-amendment free-exercise public-health religious-liberty state-action Whether COVID-19 public health restrictions imposed by state officials violated the Free Exercise Clause by imposing more stringent limitations on rel…
23-7785 Jared Pierce Sanchez v. Brown University, et al. First Circuit 2024-06-24 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP academic-exclusion civil-rights covid-19-mandate equal-protection first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise public-hospitals religious-discrimination Whether the First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the plaintiff were violated due to religious discrimination, harassment, and academic e…
23A1067 Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc., et al. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, et al. Wisconsin 2024-05-30 Presumed Complete first-amendment free-exercise ministerial-exception religious-exemption statutory-interpretation unemployment-compensation Whether a state court can constitutionally determine whether a religious organization is 'operated primarily for religious purposes' by evaluating its…
23-7574 Marcus Donte Middlebrook v. Kelly M. Wellman, et al. Sixth Circuit 2024-05-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights deliberate-indifference due-process free-exercise judicial-discretion medical-needs rluipa summary-judgment Did the US District Court judge abuse its discretion in adopting the magistrate's report and recommendation, granting the defendant's motion for summa…
23-1101 Jacob N. Ferguson v. Robbin M. Owen District of Columbia 2024-04-10 Denied Response Waived alternative-means d.c.-circuit free-exercise government-permit religious-exercise religious-freedom-restoration-act religious-question-of-law seat-of-government substantial-burden Whether religious exercise must be required, central, or important to a system of religious belief
23-915 Pleasant View Baptist Church, et al. v. Andrew Beshear Sixth Circuit 2024-02-23 Denied Response Waived 42-usc-1983 burden-of-proof civil-rights constitutional-rights covid-19-restrictions free-exercise free-exercise-clause qualified-immunity state-actor Whether qualified immunity applies to a state actor who violates the Free Exercise Clause
23-6429 Jan M. Gawlik v. Scott Semple, et al. Second Circuit 2024-01-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-remedies due-process free-exercise free-exercise-clause mailbox-rule property-rights religious-exercise rluipa summary-judgment Whether the Connecticut district court improperly applied the 'mailbox rule' in dismissing the plaintiff's timely administrative remedies/exhaustion c…
23-643 We The Patriots USA, Inc., et al. v. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Development, et al. Second Circuit 2023-12-14 Denied Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) civil-rights free-exercise generally-applicable legacy-exemptions neutral-and-generally-applicable neutral-law rational-basis religious-exemption smith-precedent smith-v-employment-division vaccination-mandate Whether a mandate that does not exempt religious conduct is neutral and generally applicable if it exempts secular conduct that similarly frustrates t…
23A481 Pleasant View Baptist Church, et al. v. Andrew Beshear Sixth Circuit 2023-11-28 Presumed Complete covid-19-restrictions first-amendment free-exercise hybrid-rights qualified-immunity religious-schools Whether qualified immunity should be limited for executive branch officials who imposed COVID-19 restrictions that discriminatorily impacted religious…
23-481 Temple of 1001 Buddhas, et al. v. City of Fremont, California Ninth Circuit 2023-11-07 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (2) 42-usc-1983 civil-rights constitutional-rights disparate-treatment first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause municipal-liability searching-review section-1983 Whether a state municipality can be held liable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 when decision rights and associated impingements on free exercise are distribut…
23-450 M. C., et vir v. Indiana Department of Child Services Indiana 2023-10-30 Denied Amici (4)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) 14th-amendment child-custody due-process first-amendment free-exercise free-speech parental-rights prior-restraint Whether a prior restraint barring a religious parent's speech about the topic of sex and gender with their child while allowing and even requiring spe…
23-5799 Donald L. Missimer, Jr. v. Jay Forshey, Warden Ohio 2023-10-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights due-process establishment-clause free-exercise standing state-action Whether the Ohio Supreme Court erred in its interpretation and application of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Con…
23-5815 Emily Claire Hari v. United States Eighth Circuit 2023-10-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split commerce-clause congressional-authority constitutional-challenge criminal-law criminal-statute free-exercise jurisdictional-element non-economic Whether the 'jurisdictional element' contained within 18 U.S.C. § 247, standing alone, serves to authorize congressional enactment of a criminal statu…
23-87 Cody A. Craig v. Emma R. Solorzano Maine 2023-07-31 Denied civil-rights constitutional-law due-process first-amendment free-exercise judicial-discretion parental-rights religious-freedom Does a court decision limiting parental rights based on disapproval of a parent's religious views violate the Free Exercise Clause?
23-5183 Allen S. Herschaft v. New York City Campaign Finance Board Second Circuit 2023-07-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure civil-rights due-process equal-protection first-amendment free-exercise religious-freedom religious-freedom-restoration-act res-judicata standing Whether Res Judicata precludes bringing the case?
22-1093 Mark Anthony Spell, et al. v. John Bel Edwards, et al. Fifth Circuit 2023-05-09 Denied Amici (4)Response Waived church-assembly church-state-separation establishment-clause first-amendment founders-intent free-exercise free-exercise-clause religious-freedom religious-liberty state-restrictions Whether the State's restrictions on church assembly and worship violate the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses under the Founders' understanding
22-951 Jane Doe No. 1, et al. v. Todd Rokita, Attorney General of Indiana, et al. Seventh Circuit 2023-03-30 Denied Amici (1)Response Waived abortion abortion-rights constitutional-law dobbs-precedent dobbs-v-jackson first-amendment free-exercise free-speech medical-protocols religious-beliefs Whether Indiana's laws prohibiting standard medical disposition of embryonic tissue from lawful abortion procedures violate the Free Exercise and Free…
22-6742 Jan M. Gawlik v. Ned Lamont, Governor of Connecticut, et al. Connecticut 2023-02-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP conditions-of-confinement discrimination due-process first-amendment free-exercise religious-freedom rluipa symbolic-expression Whether the Connecticut Department of Corrections' policy of prohibiting incarcerated Catholics/Christians from openly displaying religious articles s…
22-6735 Echo Dixon v. New York New York 2023-02-09 Denied IFP brady-v-maryland brady-violation civil-rights due-process first-amendment fourteenth-amendment fraud-on-the-court free-exercise habeas-corpus misnomer Whether the People of the State of New York interfered with Petitioner's first and fourteenth amendment free exercise rights
22-6675 Barrett S. Tunsil v. Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, et al. Third Circuit 2023-02-01 Denied IFP civil-rights covid-19 due-process equal-protection free-exercise pandemic Whether the COVID-19 pandemic and related government orders violate the constitutional rights of the petitioner, including due process, equal protecti…
22-696 Reginald L. Gundy v. City of Jacksonville, Florida, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2023-01-26 Denied Response Waived civil-rights first-amendment free-exercise free-speech government-speech qualified-immunity retaliation Whether Petitioner's invited invocation before the City Council was private speech or government speech
22-6230 Derrick A. Edwards v. K. King, et al. Fourth Circuit 2022-12-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights compelling-interest constitutional-rights criminal-conviction evidence-challenge free-exercise judicial-review least-restrictive-means procedural-limitations RLUIPA substantial-burden substantive-due-process Whether RLUIPA requires the respondent to show that it lacks other means of achieving its desired goal without imposing a substantial burden on the pe…
22-6054 Stephen Barbee v. Bryan Collier, et al. Fifth Circuit 2022-11-15 Denied IFP capital-punishment execution-chamber fifth-circuit first-amendment free-exercise prison-litigation-reform-act prison-policy religious-rights rluipa spiritual-advisor Whether the Fifth Circuit erred in vacating the injunction requiring TDCJ to publish a clear policy on religious expression in the execution chamber
22-343 Lynn S. King v. New York, et al. Second Circuit 2022-10-12 Denied Response Waived divorce-proceedings domestic-relations domestic-relations-law first-amendment free-exercise religious-covenant religious-wedding sacred-covenant standing Whether New York Domestic Relations Law 170(7) violates the Free Exercise of religion clause
22-292 James D. Sullivan v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue Fourth Circuit 2022-09-27 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) establishment-clause free-exercise government-speech lemon-test public-forum religious-display Whether the lower court erred in its application of the Lemon test to the government's display of a religious monument
22-260 Burtonsville Associates, et al. v. Montgomery County, Maryland, et al. Fourth Circuit 2022-09-20 Denied church-construction equal-terms equal-terms-claim free-exercise religious-exercise religious-land-use rluipa substantial-burden zoning zoning-denial Must a congregation prove reasonable expectation of zoning approval to establish substantial burden under RLUIPA?
22-5408 Lady Donna Dutchess v. Jason Dutch Alaska 2022-08-19 Denied IFP civil-rights establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise lemon-test medical-scientology religious-freedom vaccine-mandate vaccine-mandates Is the court's faith in vaccine mandates an unconstitutional establishment of the religion of medical scientology?
22-108 Richard R. Watkinson v. Alaska Department of Corrections, et al. Ninth Circuit 2022-08-03 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (5) free-exercise free-exercise-clause government-neutrality prisoner-rights religious-accommodation religious-accommodations rluipa strict-scrutiny substantial-burden Does the Free Exercise Clause permit a prison to deny accommodations to the Petitioner for his religious exercise that it already allows for secular a…
22-60 Church of Scientology International, et al. v. Chrissie Carnell Bixler, et al. California 2022-07-21 Denied Amici (5)Response Waived arbitration-agreement church-membership civil-procedure establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise freedom-of-religion religious-arbitration Does the First Amendment prohibit enforcement of a religious arbitration agreement if a parishioner leaves the faith?
21-8242 Michael David Webb v. Anthony S. Fauci, et al. Fourth Circuit 2022-06-28 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP administrative-procedure agency-response civil-rights due-process face-act foia free-exercise freedom-of-information-act injunctive-relief judicial-discretion procedural-due-process standing Whether a Trial Court may not exercise its powers against a candidate for office to stifle free-speech
21-8138 Lawrence J. Gerrans v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-06-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights criminal-procedure first-amendment free-exercise religious-rights sixth-amendment structural-error trial-rights May a district court prohibit a defendant from possessing and consulting a Bible during a criminal trial?
21-1328 Community Baptist Church, et al. v. Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, et al. Tenth Circuit 2022-04-05 Denied Response Waived 11th-amendment 42-usc-1983 due-process free-exercise mootness standing Whether a statute requires strict scrutiny for facial and as-applied claims where officials invoke it as legal authority to issue mandates which depri…
21-1295 St. Augustine School, et al. v. Jill Underly, in Her Official Capacity as Superintendent of Public Instruction, et al. Seventh Circuit 2022-03-28 Denied constitutional-claims doctrinal-determination establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause government-interference public-benefits religion-clauses religious-preference summary-reversal Whether summary reversal is warranted
21-1297 Clare Therese Grady, Carmen Trotta, and Martha Hennessy v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-03-25 Denied circuit-split criminal-prosecution free-exercise government-burden government-burden-of-proof least-restrictive-means prosecution religious-freedom religious-freedom-restoration-act rfra sincerely-held-beliefs Whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act imposes a burden on the government to demonstrate that it has actually considered and rejected the effic…
21-1263 Marvin Gerber v. Henry Herskovitz, et al. Sixth Circuit 2022-03-17 Denied Amici (1)Response Waived anti-israel anti-jewish first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-of-religion harassment intimidation judicial-review religious-freedom speech-restriction Whether the First Amendment's guarantee of the free exercise of religion requires restriction adjacent to a house of worship of harassing and intimida…
21-1143 Dr. A., et al. v. Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York, et al. Second Circuit 2022-02-16 Denied Amici (12)Relisted (10) administrative-rule covid-19 covid-vaccine-mandate employment-division-v-smith free-exercise free-exercise-clause medical-exemption religious-exemption secular-conduct vaccine-mandate Whether a COVID vaccine mandate that provides no religious exemption while allowing medical exemptions violates the Free Exercise Clause
21-1076 Sivagnanam Thamilselvan v. Vijayalakshmi Thamilselvan Michigan 2022-02-03 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) comity comity-doctrine divorce first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise no-fault-divorce religious-freedom subject-matter-jurisdiction Whether the petitioners' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights are violated
21-1027 Green Haven Preparative Meeting, et al. v. New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, et al. Second Circuit 2022-01-20 Denied Amici (1) civil-rights first-amendment free-exercise institutional-rights prison-ministry religious-organization standing substantial-burden Does the standing of a religious organization to protect the fundamental practices of its faith from being abridged by the state cease at the prison w…
21-1003 F. F., as Parent of Y. F., et al. v. New York, et al. New York 2022-01-14 Denied constitutional-rights first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause narrow-tailoring religious-bias religious-exemption school-vaccination strict-scrutiny vaccination-requirement Does New York's religious exemption repeal violate the First Amendment's Free Exercise clause
21-886 Ismet Islami v. Kemper Independence Insurance Company Wisconsin 2021-12-15 Denied civil-dissolution due-process first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise legal-separation marital-property religious-freedom religious-rights statutory-entitlement Whether the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision deprives persons domiciled in Wisconsin of their fundamental liberty right to exercise their statutory …
21-6327 Frank Paul Ferrara v. Virginia Virginia 2021-11-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-court civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process evidence-admission expert-testimony fair-trial free-exercise standing statutory-interpretation trial-procedure Should the petitioner's matter have been allowed to progress to a court-ordered trial since the respondent was incarcerated for exercising his constit…
21-717 John Does 1–3, et al. v. Janet T. Mills, Governor of Maine, et al. First Circuit 2021-11-15 Denied Amici (3)Relisted (3) covid-19 covid-19-mandate free-exercise free-exercise-clause healthcare-workers preemption preliminary-injunction religious-accommodation supremacy-clause title-vii Whether a state governor's order mandating that private healthcare employers, on penalty of revocation of their business licenses, terminate their hea…
21-476 303 Creative LLC, et al. v. Aubrey Elenis, et al. Tenth Circuit 2021-09-28 Judgment Issued Amici (90)Relisted (4) anti-discrimination-law compelled-speech content-based content-based-regulation free-exercise free-speech religious-beliefs religious-liberty viewpoint-discrimination Whether applying a law to compel an artist to speak or stay silent, contrary to the artist's sincerely held religious beliefs, violates the Free Speec…
21-418 Joseph A. Kennedy v. Bremerton School District Ninth Circuit 2021-09-16 Judgment Issued Amici (68)Relisted (2) constitutional-rights establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise free-speech public-employment public-school religious-expression Whether public-school-employee-speech-is-government-speech
21-5592 John H. Ramirez v. Bryan Collier, Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, et al. Fifth Circuit 2021-09-07 Judgment Issued Amici (17)IFP compelling-governmental-interest compelling-state-interest execution-protocol free-exercise free-exercise-clause free-speech least-restrictive-means pastoral-support religious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-a religious-rights rluipa Does the State's decision to restrict a pastor's religious practices during an execution substantially burden the free exercise of religion under the …
21-144 Seattle's Union Gospel Mission v. Matthew S. Woods Washington 2021-08-03 Denied Amici (17)Relisted (9) civil-rights coreligionist-hiring employment-discrimination first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause ministerial-exception religious-exemption religious-freedom religious-nonprofits standing Whether the First Amendment protects the Mission's right to hire coreligionists
21-5215 Cameron Dean Bates v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-07-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-law due-process free-exercise free-speech standing Whether the lower court erred in dismissing petitioner's claims for violation of their First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of reli…
20-1501 Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, et al. v. Shirin Emami, Acting Superintendent, New York Department of Financial Services, et al. New York 2021-04-27 GVR Amici (6)Relisted (4) abortion abortion-mandate employment-division-smith first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause free-speech health-insurance religious-autonomy religious-exemption smith-v-oregon Is New York's abortion coverage mandate neutral and generally applicable under Smith and Lukumi?
20-1443 Candace Aguilera, aka Candace Sgaggio v. City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, et al. Tenth Circuit 2021-04-15 Denied 4th-amendment civil-rights fourth-amendment free-exercise implied-license indigenous-rights private-property search-and-seizure spiritual-property standing How long can government agents stay on private spiritual property after implied license is revoked?
20-1346 Calvary Chapel of Bangor v. Janet T. Mills, Governor of Maine First Circuit 2021-03-25 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) employment-division-v-smith establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause government-discrimination jacobson-v-massachusetts pandemic-restrictions preliminary-injunction religious-liberty strict-scrutiny temporary-restraining-order Whether the Free Exercise Clause prohibits government discrimination against houses of worship
20-7044 Gregory Bartunek v. Hall County, Nebraska, et al. Eighth Circuit 2021-02-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP fifth-amendment first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause pretrial-detainee pretrial-detainees religious-freedom Whether failing to provide consistent and reliable opportunities for pretrial detainees to exercise their religious freedoms is a violation of the Fir…
20-838 Kim Blandino v. Nevada, et al. Nevada 2020-12-22 Denied constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process fifth-amendment first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise impartial-judge judicial-impartiality structural-error Whether a criminal defendant's right to an impartial judge under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments requires correction before trial or conviction
20-746 South Bay United Pentecostal Church, et al. v. Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-11-30 GVR Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) civil-rights constitutional-review first-amendment free-exercise free-speech jacobson-v-massachusetts pandemic-restrictions religious-liberty strict-scrutiny Do Governor Newsom's lockdown orders and reopening restrictions under the 'Blueprint' framework, placing strict limitations, including closures, on al…
20-639 Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Steve Sisolak, Governor of Nevada, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-11-10 Denied Amici (6)Relisted (2) covid-19 covid-19-restrictions equal-protection first-amendment free-assembly free-exercise free-exercise-clause free-speech religious-liberty strict-scrutiny Whether the Governor's favoring of secular over religious gatherings violates the Free Exercise Clause
20-6258 Arthur L. Campbell v. Cynthia Gause, et al. Sixth Circuit 2020-11-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights first-amendment free-exercise islam judicial-review prison-policy religious-freedom rluipa statutory-interpretation substantial-burden Whether the Sixth Circuit committed plain error, contrary to 42 U.S.C. §2000cc et seq., when it abdicated the responsibility, conferred by Congress on…
20-569 Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church, et al. v. J. B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois Seventh Circuit 2020-10-30 Denied Amici (5)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) content-based-restriction content-based-restrictions first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause jacobson-v-massachusetts pandemic-exception religious-discrimination religious-gatherings strict-scrutiny Whether the Free Exercise Clause prohibits government discrimination against religious gatherings
20-534 All Saints' Episcopal Church (Fort Worth) v. The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, et al. Texas 2020-10-22 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (2) church-property-dispute church-property-disputes ecclesiastical-question establishment-clause express-trust-provision free-exercise free-exercise-clause jones-v-wolf neutral-principles neutral-principles-of-law Whether the Texas Supreme Court's decision awarding petitioner's sanctuary and rectory to a dissident faction in contravention of the will of petition…
20-536 The Episcopal Church, et al. v. The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, et al. Texas 2020-10-22 Denied Relisted (2) church-property church-property-disputes constitutional-law ecclesiastical-deference express-trusts first-amendment free-exercise neutral-principles polity religious-freedom Whether the First Amendment requires courts to enforce express trusts in church governing documents or whether state law may render such trusts unenfo…
20-385 Judy Doe v. Michael L. Parson, Governor of Missouri, et al. Eighth Circuit 2020-09-24 Denied Response Waived abortion abortion-rights constitutional-challenge due-process establishment-clause free-exercise free-exercise-clause religious-belief religious-liberty undue-burden undue-burden-standard Is the Establishment Clause violated by the proclamation that 'The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of …
20-340 Olga Paule Perrier-Bilbo v. United States, et al. First Circuit 2020-09-15 Denied Response Waived civil-rights equal-protection establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise freedom-of-religion government-endorsement religious-discrimination standing Whether the federal government may continue to degrade atheists from the equal rank of citizens by repeatedly, flagrantly, and facially lending its po…
20-261 Jeff Schulz, et al. v. Presbytery of Seattle. et al. Washington 2020-09-02 Denied Amici (3)Relisted (3) church-autonomy church-property-disputes civil-procedure constitutional-law denominational-authority denominational-dispute first-amendment free-exercise property-ownership religious-freedom Does the First Amendment permit courts to apply a rule of absolute deference to assertions of ownership by a denomination in a dispute over property o…
20-5319 Juan Carlos Avila-Gonzalez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-08-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability civil-rights compelled-speech competence-to-waive counsel-investigation due-process fifth-circuit free-exercise free-speech ineffective-assistance medical-history public-accommodations Whether the First Amendment prohibits the government from requiring individuals to engage in speech that violates their sincerely held religious belie…
20-5214 Ricardo A. Haynes v. Robert Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Federal Circuit 2020-07-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-law due-process free-exercise free-speech standing Whether the lower court erred in dismissing petitioner's claims for violation of their First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of reli…
20-62 Parents for Privacy, et al. v. William P. Barr, Attorney General, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-07-23 Denied bodily-privacy civil-rights due-process free-exercise parental-rights religious-beliefs religious-freedom school-policy title-ix transgender-accommodation whether-parents-surrender-fundamental-right-to-direct-upbringing-of-children
20-23 Dale Hartkemeyer, et al. v. William P. Barr, Attorney General, et al. Seventh Circuit 2020-07-15 Denied free-exercise last-rites ministerial-duty pandemic pandemic-execution prisoner prisoner-rights religious-exercise religious-freedom RFRA Where a priest has a sacred religious duty to minister last rites to a prisoner under his pastoral care, does scheduling the prisoner's execution duri…
20-14 Congregation Rabbinical College of Tartikov, Inc., et al. v. Village of Pomona, New York, et al. Second Circuit 2020-07-10 Denied Amici (2)Response RequestedRelisted (2) article-iii article-iii-standing fair-housing-act free-exercise institutionalized-persons-act municipal-law property-rights religious-exercise religious-land-use rluipa standing zoning-law Whether an owner of real property has Article III standing to challenge a municipality's zoning law that prohibits the owner's proposed religious land…
19-8695 Ruben Gutierrez v. Luis V. Saenz, et al. Fifth Circuit 2020-06-15 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (12)IFP compelling-interest execution execution-protocol first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause religious-accommodation religious-adviser religious-exercise rluipa spiritual-aid Whether the State's policy of denying a religious adviser to a condemned prisoner during execution violates RLUIPA and the Free Exercise Clause
19-8681 Sung Hong, et ux. v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-06-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP affinity-fraud aggravating-factors civil-rights constitutional-law due-process establishment-clause free-exercise holguin-hernandez-v-united-states plain-error-review religious-sentencing sentencing sentencing-guidelines whether-courts-can-consider-religion-as-aggravating-factor-in-sentencing
19-1135 Dignity Health, dba Mercy San Juan Medical Center v. Evan Minton California 2020-03-17 Denied Amici (5)Relisted (7) civil-rights employment-division-v-smith first-amendment free-association free-exercise free-expression medical-procedure medical-procedures religious-freedom religious-liberty state-law unruh-civil-rights-act Does the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment bar a state-law claim that seeks to compel a religiously affiliated hospital to allow medical pro…
19-7542 Noah-Wade Pelmear, et al. v. Maureen O'Connor, et al. Sixth Circuit 2020-02-04 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-rights color-of-law due-process equal-protection free-exercise immunity judicial-immunity oath-of-office obstruction-of-justice Whether state actors acting under color of state law can impair, impede, deny, discriminate, threaten or otherwise obstruct petitioners' federally pro…
19-6392 Jeffrey F. Evers v. Brian Foster, Warden Seventh Circuit 2019-10-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals civil-procedure civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-courts first-amendment free-exercise habeas-corpus merits-based-decision new-trial procedural-default public-accommodation religious-freedom same-sex-marriage standing state-licensing Does federal law under A952(c) permit a civil justice system to respond to a No-Merits review of a procedural default that can only be waived as a mer…
19-371 Stephen S. Wise Temple v. Julie Su California 2019-09-19 Dismissed Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse Waived employment-discrimination first-amendment first-amendment-free-exercise free-exercise functional-approach hosanna-tabor hosanna-tabor-v-eeoc judicial-interpretation ministerial-exception religious-education religious-institutions transmitting-faith Whether courts should apply a functional approach to the ministerial exception that does not punish religious institutions for employing non-adherents…
19-348 St. James School v. Darryl Biel, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Kristen Biel Ninth Circuit 2019-09-17 Judgment Issued Amici (4) civil-courts civil-rights due-process employment-discrimination establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise free-speech hosanna-tabor ministerial-exception religion-clauses Whether the Religion Clauses prevent civil courts from adjudicating employment discrimination claims brought by an employee against her religious empl…
19-333 Arlene's Flowers, Inc., dba Arlene's Flowers and Gifts, et al. v. Washington, et al. Washington 2019-09-12 Rehearing Amici (10)Relisted (13) civil-rights compelled-speech content-based first-amendment free-exercise free-speech public-accommodation religious-freedom religious-hostility same-sex-marriage state-action strict-scrutiny Whether the State violates a floral designer's First Amendment rights to free exercise and free speech by forcing her to take part in and create custo…
19-5841 Shahram Shakouri v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division, et al. Fifth Circuit 2019-09-06 Denied IFP due-process first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause masterpiece-cakeshop religious-discrimination religious-hostility religious-neutrality scriptural-interpretation thirteenth-amendment Whether district court's lack of religious neutrality violated Petitioner's right to the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment or Free Exercise Cla…
19-123 Sharonell Fulton, et al. v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, et al. Third Circuit 2019-07-25 Judgment Issued Amici (87)Relisted (7) circuit-split civil-rights discrimination employment-division-v-smith first-amendment foster-care free-exercise general-applicability government-neutrality neutral-and-generally-applicable neutral-laws religious-discrimination religious-liberty unconstitutional-conditions Whether free exercise plaintiffs can only succeed by proving a particular type of discrimination claim
19-66 George Q. Ricks v. Idaho Contractors Board, et al. Idaho 2019-07-12 Denied Amici (5)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (8) civil-rights constitutional-interpretation constitutional-law employment-division-v-smith first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause generally-applicable neutral-law neutral-laws religious-exemption religious-exemptions religious-freedom stare-decisis Whether the Court should revisit its holding in Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990)
18-9832 Patrick H. Murphy v. Bryan Collier, Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, et al. Fifth Circuit 2019-06-27 Denied Amici (1)IFP civil-rights death-penalty death-row due-process establishment-clause free-exercise free-exercise-clause pastoral-accompaniment religious-liberty rluipa When a death-sentenced inmate informs prison authorities a month in advance of his scheduled execution date of his desire to be accompanied during the…
18-9649 Boaz Pleasant-Bey v. Tennessee Department of Corrections, et al. Sixth Circuit 2019-06-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process free-exercise halal-diet prison religious-freedom rluipa substantial-burden Whether RLUIPA prohibits the Defendants from placing a substantial burden upon Petitioner's religious exercise
18-1322 The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, et al. v. New York City Police Department, et al. New York 2019-04-18 Denied Response Waived animal-cruelty establishment-clause executive-branch free-exercise judicial-branch legislative-branch mandamus separation-of-powers standing writ-of-mandamus Can the New York State Judicial Branch refuse to issue a writ of mandamus when the executive branch defies the legislative branch?
18-8774 John Elvin Turner v. Nevada, et al. Nevada 2019-04-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure civil-rights due-process first-amendment free-exercise jurisdiction religious-freedom standing statutory-interpretation Whether the Amish Sect's religious beliefs and practices are protected under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
18-8615 In Re Patrick Henry Murphy 2019-03-28 Denied IFP capital-punishment civil-rights due-process equal-protection establishment-clause execution-protocol first-amendment free-exercise religious-accommodation religious-freedom state-procedure Whether the Constitution or federal statutory law requires that members of all faiths be permitted to be accompanied in the execution chamber by a min…
18-1195 Kendra Espinoza, et al. v. Montana Department of Revenue, et al. Montana 2019-03-14 Judgment Issued Amici (64)Relisted (2) constitutional-law equal-protection establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise religion-clauses religious-schools school-choice student-aid Invalidation of a religiously neutral student-aid program due to inclusion of religious schools
18-1151 St. Augustine School, et al. v. Carolyn Stanford Taylor, in Her Official Capacity as Superintendent of Public Instruction, et al. Seventh Circuit 2019-03-06 GVR Relisted (2) church-autonomy denominational-affiliation employment-division-v-smith faith-tradition free-exercise free-exercise-clause government-benefits religion-clauses religious-adherent religious-autonomy religious-liberty trinity-lutheran trinity-lutheran-v-comer Whether the Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government from requiring a religious adherent to choose between following his or her faith tradition a…
18-7946 Robert Hawkins v. United States Seventh Circuit 2019-02-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure civil-rights due-process establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise free-speech separation-of-church-and-state standing takings Whether the lower court erred in its application of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
18-944 Tree of Life Christian Schools v. City of Upper Arlington, Ohio Sixth Circuit 2019-01-18 Denied Amici (9)Relisted (2) circuit-split conditional-use-permit discrimination equal-terms equal-terms-provision facial-or-as-applied-violation free-exercise nonprofit-organization religious-land-use religious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-a rluipa standing tax-revenue zoning zoning-code What is the proper test for a RLUIPA equal-terms claim?
18-7397 Jackie Breeden, Jr. v. Wendy Kelley, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction Arkansas 2019-01-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure civil-rights due-process equal-protection free-exercise free-speech racial-discrimination school-desegregation standing Whether the lower court erred in dismissing petitioner's claims for violation of their First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of reli…
18-636 The Pure Presbyterian Church of Washington, et al. v. The Grace of God Presbyterian Church Virginia 2018-11-16 Dismissed church-property civil-procedure constitutional-competence ecclesiastical-abstention establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise merger-analysis neutral-principles religious-freedom religious-organizations subject-matter-jurisdiction Whether the trial court's determination that Grace Presbyterian was the successor church to Pure Presbyterian, which was held to have been extinguishe…
18-583 Kenneth Mayle v. United States, et al. Seventh Circuit 2018-11-05 Denied Response Waived compelled-speech compelling-governmental-interest equal-protection free-exercise free-speech government-burden least-restrictive-means minority-rights religious-beliefs religious-freedom-restoration-act sincerely-held-religious-beliefs standing statutory-interpretation Whether the lower court's ruling violates the Supreme Court's precedents by improperly substituting its own view that carrying currency bearing a reli…
18-547 Melissa Elaine Klein, et vir v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Oregon 2018-10-26 GVR Amici (10)Relisted (13) commercial-art compelled-speech employment-division-v-smith expressive-conduct first-amendment free-exercise free-speech hybrid-rights public-accommodations religious-liberty Whether Oregon violated the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment by compelling the Kleins to design and create a custom weddin…
18-530 Congregation Jeshuat Israel v. Congregation Shearith Israel First Circuit 2018-10-24 Denied Amici (2)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) charitable-trusts diversity-jurisdiction erie-doctrine establishment-clause evidence federalism free-exercise free-exercise-clause personal-property property property-dispute religious-liberty secular-evidence trust trust-law In ordinary trust and property disputes, does the Establishment Clause preclude courts from considering secular evidence that is relevant and admissib…
18-451 Aloha Bed & Breakfast v. Diane Cervelli, et al. Hawaii 2018-10-11 Denied Amici (5)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) due-process fair-notice first-amendment fourteenth-amendment free-exercise intimate-association privacy prohibitory public-accommodation public-accommodations quasi-criminal religious-beliefs religious-liberty stigmatizing Whether holding a homeowner liable for refusing to host a same-sex couple violates due process and free exercise rights
18-364 Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, et al. v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, et al. New Jersey 2018-09-20 Denied Amici (2)Relisted (6) civil-rights establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise free-exercise-clause free-speech government-funding historic-preservation public-funding religious-status status-based-discrimination trinity-lutheran trinity-lutheran-precedent Whether using generally available historic preservation funds to repair or restore a house of worship constitutes a religious use' that falls outside …
18-365 The Presbyterian Church in Morristown, et al. v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, et al. New Jersey 2018-09-20 Denied Relisted (6) church-state-separation constitutional-rights establishment-clause free-exercise free-exercise-clause free-speech government-funding government-grants historic-preservation religious-discrimination religious-neutrality standing status-use-distinction Does the categorical exclusion of active houses of worship from a competitive government grant program advancing the secular interest of historic pres…
18-5864 Benjamin Patrick Lee v. Suzanne M. Peery, Warden Ninth Circuit 2018-09-04 Denied IFP civil-rights criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process equal-protection free-exercise habeas-corpus right-to-counsel state-laws Whether the California state court system completely violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution and the rights of …
18-112 Vance D. Day, Judge, Circuit Court of Oregon, Third Judicial District v. Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability Oregon 2018-07-25 Denied Amici (2) 14th-amendment constitutional-defenses due-process first-amendment free-exercise free-speech judicial-ethics oregon-supreme-court original-jurisdiction procedural-due-process Whether it is a Due Process violation for a court of original jurisdiction to refuse to consider, or to reject without sufficient analysis, substantia…
18-5055 Mitchell Stevens v. Darrel Vannoy, Warden, et al. Fifth Circuit 2018-07-02 Denied IFP civil-procedure civil-rights due-process free-exercise free-speech prison-policy religious-accommodation standing takings Whether the petitioner's free exercise rights were violated when prison officials refused to accommodate his religious dietary requirements