free-exercise-clause

42 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-703 Calvary Chapel San Jose, et al. v. California, et al. California 2025-12-17 Pending Amici (7) church-autonomy covid-restrictions excessive-fines free-exercise-clause religious-liberty strict-scrutiny At issue in this case is the ability of government to referee religious services in a house of worship. Government officials in California imposed COV…
25-6392 Christopher Tyler Bray v. Texas Texas 2025-12-17 Pending IFP constitutional-law establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise-clause government-interest religious-freedom What is the meaning of religion as it concerns the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment, and what are the implicatio…
25-394 Beit Ha Kavod v. City of Canton, Ohio Ohio 2025-10-02 Denied building-codes constitutional-rights first-amendment free-exercise-clause municipal-law religious-discrimination The question presented is whether a municipality enforcing building codes violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United State…
25-256 Libby Hilsenrath, on Behalf of Her Minor Child, C. H. v. Chathams School District Board of Education Third Circuit 2025-09-04 Denied establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise-clause parental-rights public-school religious-freedom Whether a public school violates the Establishment Clause by assigning content that proselytizes for, extols, and gives favored treatment to Islam (or…
25-133 Joseph Miller, et al. v. James V. McDonald, Commissioner, New York State Department of Health, et al. Second Circuit 2025-08-04 GVR Amici (17) constitutional-law first-amendment free-exercise-clause religious-exemption secular-exemption smith-precedent 1. Whether a law that categorically disallows religious exemptions but permits secular exemptions and other comparable secular activity violates the F…
24-7510 Beit Ha Kavod v. City of Canton, Ohio Ohio 2025-06-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP building-codes constitutional-law first-amendment free-exercise-clause municipal-regulation religious-discrimination Whether a municipality enforcing building codes violates the Free Exercise Clause when treating one religious organization differently from another
24-5844 Kimberly Edelstein v. Max Edelstein Ohio 2024-10-29 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-rights contract-law due-process free-exercise-clause neutral-principles religious-marriage Whether Ohio courts improperly invalidated a Jewish marriage contract (Ketubah) by refusing to enforce religious marriage agreements and applying inco…
24-396 St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Gentner Drummond, Attorney General of Oklahoma, ex rel. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2024-10-09 Judgment Issued Relisted (3) charter-schools establishment-clause free-exercise-clause pedagogical-choice religious-discrimination state-action Whether a state violates the Free Exercise Clause by excluding privately run religious schools from the state's charter school program solely because …
24-394 Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board, et al. v. Gentner Drummond, Attorney General of Oklahoma, ex rel. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2024-10-09 Judgment Issued Amici (2)Relisted (3) charter-schools educational-rights establishment-clause free-exercise-clause religious-discrimination state-action Whether a state violates the Free Exercise Clause by excluding privately run religious schools from a charter-school program solely based on religious…
24-297 Tamer Mahmoud, et al. v. Thomas W. Taylor, et al. Fourth Circuit 2024-09-16 Judgment Issued Amici (80)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) first-amendment-rights free-exercise-clause gender-instruction parental-rights religious-liberty school-curriculum Do public schools burden parents' religious exercise when they compel elementary school children to participate in instruction on gender and sexuality…
24-291 Apache Stronghold v. United States, et al. Ninth Circuit 2024-09-13 Denied Amici (15)Relisted (18) free-exercise-clause government-action native-american-rights religious-exercise religious-freedom-restoration-act sacred-site Whether the government 'substantially burdens' religious exercise under RFRA, or must satisfy heightened scrutiny under the Free Exercise Clause, when…
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…
23-481 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…
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
22-108 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…
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
21-1143 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
21-6883 Walter Delaney Booker, Jr. v. M. E. Engelke, et al. Fourth Circuit 2022-01-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-law civil-rights compelling-interest constitutional-rights due-process first-amendment free-exercise-clause prison prison-rights religious-exercise religious-freedom standing Whether RLUIPA requires courts to evaluate claims under the 'compelling interest' test or the 'least restrictive means' test
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
21-717 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…
21-5592 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
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?
20-1346 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
20-1137 California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials v. Tom Torlakson, et al. Ninth Circuit 2021-02-19 Denied Amici (2) disfavored-treatment federal-law first-amendment free-exercise-clause government-discrimination ninth-circuit-precedent recurring-issue religious-exercise religious-liberty substantial-burden Whether the Free Exercise Clause permits the government to single out a religion for disfavored treatment so long as it does not 'substantially burden…
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…
20-791 Eglise Baptiste Bethanie De Ft. Lauderdale, Inc., et al. v. Seminole Tribe of Florida, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2020-12-09 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (2) access-act civil-remedies civil-rights establishment-clause first-amendment free-exercise-clause freedom-of-access-to-clinic-entrances-act off-reservation-conduct religious-worship tribal-sovereign-immunity Is a Native American tribe sovereignly immune from a civil suit for damages caused by the off-reservation violations by its police officers of the 'pl…
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
20-569 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…
20-385 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 …
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
19-5841 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…
19-66 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…
18-9629 Matthew Hale v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, et al. Tenth Circuit 2019-06-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-law due-process first-amendment free-exercise-clause free-speech religious-freedom religious-freedom-restoration-act standing whether the Tenth Circuit's usage of a factor-driven test for determining whether a particular belief system qualifies as a 'religious' group for purp…
18A1256 George Q. Ricks v. Idaho Contractors Board, et al. Idaho 2019-06-03 Presumed Complete employment-division-v-smith free-exercise-clause generally-applicable-law neutral-law religious-exemption social-security-number Whether the Free Exercise Clause requires an exemption from a neutral and generally applicable law that conflicts with a sincerely held religious beli…
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…
18-530 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…
18-365 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…
18-364 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 …