Employment Division v. Smith

E14513

Employment Division v. Smith is a landmark 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed protections for religious practices under the Free Exercise Clause by upholding the enforcement of neutral, generally applicable laws even when they incidentally burden religion.

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Generate an image of Employment Division v. Smith (Employment Division v. Smith is a landmark 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed protections for religious practices under the Free Exercise Clause by upholding the enforcement of neutral, generally applicable laws even when they incidentally burden religion.)

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case ⓘ
free exercise of religion case ⓘ
landmark decision ⓘ
hasAreaOfLaw First Amendment law ⓘ
constitutional law ⓘ
religious liberty law ⓘ
hasCategory 1990 in United States case law ⓘ
United States Supreme Court cases on freedom of religion ⓘ
United States Supreme Court cases on the First Amendment ⓘ
hasChiefJusticeAtDecision William H. Rehnquist ⓘ
hasCitation 494 U.S. 872 ⓘ
hasConcurrenceBy Harry Blackmun ⓘ
linked to: Harry A. Blackmun

Sandra Day O’Connor ⓘ
hasConstitutionalProvision First Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ
Free Exercise Clause ⓘ
hasCountry United States ⓘ
hasCourt Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
hasDecisionDate 1990 ⓘ
hasDecisionYear 1990 ⓘ
hasDissentBy Harry Blackmun ⓘ
linked to: Harry A. Blackmun

Thurgood Marshall ⓘ
William J. Brennan Jr. ⓘ
hasFact Oregon law criminalized possession of peyote ⓘ
respondents ingested peyote as part of a religious ceremony ⓘ
respondents were members of the Native American Church ⓘ
hasFullCitation Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990) ⓘ
hasHolding The Free Exercise Clause does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law of general applicability on the ground that the law proscribes conduct that his religion prescribes. ⓘ
hasImpact narrowed judicial protection for religiously motivated conduct under the Free Exercise Clause ⓘ
prompted legislative responses to restore stronger protections for religious exercise ⓘ
shifted Free Exercise analysis away from strict scrutiny for neutral, generally applicable laws ⓘ
hasIssue whether Oregon could deny unemployment benefits to workers fired for using peyote in a religious ceremony ⓘ
hasJurisdiction Oregon ⓘ
hasKeyConcept compelling interest test ⓘ
incidental burden on religion ⓘ
neutral law of general applicability ⓘ
strict scrutiny ⓘ
unemployment benefits and religious conduct ⓘ
hasLegalPrinciple neutral laws of general applicability that incidentally burden religion do not violate the Free Exercise Clause ⓘ
strict scrutiny is not required for every neutral, generally applicable law that burdens religious practice ⓘ
hasLowerCourt Oregon Supreme Court ⓘ
hasMajorityAuthor Antonin Scalia ⓘ
hasOutcome Oregon was allowed to deny unemployment benefits to the respondents ⓘ
hasPetitioner Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon ⓘ
hasProceduralHistory affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the Oregon Supreme Court ⓘ
hasRespondent Alfred Leo Smith ⓘ
Galen Black ⓘ
hasSubsequentLegislationInfluenced Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 ⓘ
state-level Religious Freedom Restoration Acts ⓘ
hasVote 6–3 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (17)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Free Exercise Clause → interpretedInCase → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Religious Freedom Restoration Act → motivatedBy → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Sherbert v. Verner → laterLimitedBy → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Employment Division v. Smith → hasFullCitation → Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990) ⓘ
linked to: Employment Division v. Smith
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia → interpretsPrecedent → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia → didNotOverrule → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Sherbert test → limitedByCase → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Public Law 103-141 → legislativeResponseTo → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Public Law 103-141 → relatedCase → Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990) ⓘ
linked to: Employment Division v. Smith
Alfred Leo Smith → partyTo → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Galen Black → respondentIn → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Galen Black → partyInCase → Employment Division v. Smith ⓘ
Galen Black → associatedCaseCitation → Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990) ⓘ
linked to: Employment Division v. Smith