religious-liberty

28 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 Question not identified.
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…
25-5636 Gordon M. Mayhew v. Arizona Arizona 2025-09-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process first-amendment free-exercise probation-conditions rehabilitation religious-liberty 1. Whether, consistent with the Free Exercise clause (App. B-l) and Due Process (App. B-3, B-4) (Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments), a State may compe…
25A94 Hunter Doster, Individually and on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated as a Class, et al. v. Troy E. Meink, Secretary of the Air Force, et al. Sixth Circuit 2025-07-23 Presumed Complete backpay covid-vaccination mootness preliminary-injunction religious-liberty rfra Question not identified.
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…
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…
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…
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…
24A54 The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago v. Janay E. Garrick Seventh Circuit 2024-07-17 Presumed Complete church-autonomy employment-discrimination first-amendment judicial-interference religious-liberty title-vii Whether the First Amendment's church autonomy doctrine protects religious organizations from judicial interference in internal leadership disputes or …
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
22-7472 Raj K. Patel v. United States Federal Circuit 2023-05-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP 14th-amendment big-tucker-act bounty-clause civil-rights contract-law due-process fourteenth-amendment judicial-discretion patel-v-united-states poindexter-v-greenhow religious-liberty whether-the-judiciary-must-reverse-and-allow-trial-of-bounty-clause-contract
22-942 Brian Tingley v. Robert W. Ferguson, Attorney General of Washington, et al. Ninth Circuit 2023-03-28 Denied Amici (13)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (10) counseling counseling-regulation employment-division-v-smith first-amendment free-speech gender-identity professional-speech religious-freedom religious-liberty Whether a law that censors conversations between counselors and clients as 'unprofessional conduct' violates the Free Speech Clause
22-824 The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, et al. v. Alexander Belya Second Circuit 2023-03-01 Denied Amici (8)Relisted (3) church-autonomy defamation-claims first-amendment immunity internal-disputes judicial-interference liability ministerial-exception religious-leadership religious-liberty Whether the First Amendment's church autonomy doctrine and its 'ministerial exception' should be understood as an immunity from judicial interference …
22-6585 Tennessee, ex rel. David Jonathan Tulis v. Bill Lee, Governor of Tennessee, et al. Tennessee 2023-01-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-rights covid-19 covid-restrictions due-process executive-orders free-speech press-freedom religious-liberty standing Can Tennessee courts lawfully deny relief to press member petitioner where the governor and a local official by executive orders and directives chill …
21-1405 Lester J. Smith v. Timothy C. Ward, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2022-05-06 Denied Amici (8) accommodation circuit-court-review circuit-split civil-rights deference penological-interests prison-policy prisoners-rights religious-freedom religious-liberty rluipa Whether the Eleventh Circuit erred in applying RLUIPA when it held that Georgia need not grant a religious accommodation offered in 39 other prison sy…
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…
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…
20-746 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
20-385 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 …
19-1135 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…
19-123 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
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…
18-1151 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…
18-547 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