Pastor, Church & Law

The Free Exercise Clause

§ 12.02

The First Amendment specifies that “Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise [of religion].” This language generally is referred to as the “free exercise clause.” The free exercise clause remained a dormant provision of the Bill of Rights for nearly a century and a half following its adoption. This was based largely on two factors. First, Congress seldom if ever took any action that interfered with the exercise of anyone’s religion. Second, in its first decision interpreting the free exercise clause, the Supreme Court ruled in 1878 that while federal laws “cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may with practice.”[+] According to this interpretation, the free exercise clause would be violated only by congressional legislation that interfered with an individual’s religious beliefs, and not with religiously-motivated conduct.

Two developments significantly increased the relevance and application of the free exercise clause. The first occurred in 1940, when the Supreme Court “incorporated” the First Amendment religion clauses into the Fourteenth Amendment “due process” clause, thereby making the First Amendment a limitation upon state (and local) governments as well as Congress.[+] Prior to 1940, only federal legislation could violate the free exercise clause. Since 1940, the same is true of state and local legislation and regulations. Clearly, this had the effect of greatly expanding the application of the free exercise clause. Second, in 1963 the Supreme Court issued a major reinterpretation of the free exercise clause in the case of Sherbert v. Verner.[+] In the Sherbert case, the Court departed from the simplistic “belief-conduct” standard that it had enunciated in its earlier Reynolds decision and announced that a government statute or regulation that imposes a “burden” on the free exercise of one’s religion violates the free exercise clause unless the statute or regulation is justified by a “compelling state interest.” This test was clarified a few years later in Wisconsin v. Yoder.[+] The Supreme Court articulated its understanding of the free exercise clause as follows:

  1. Government may never interfere with an individual’s right to believe whatever he or she wants.
  2. In determining whether the government may interfere with or restrict religiously motivated conduct, the courts must consider (a) whether the activity was motivated by and rooted in legitimate and sincerely held religious belief, (b) whether the activity was unduly and substantially burdened by the government’s action, and (c) whether the government has a compelling interest in limiting the religious activity that cannot be accomplished by less restrictive means.

This general understanding of the free exercise clause was applied by the Court in several cases.[+]

This content is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. "From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations." Due to the nature of the U.S. legal system, laws and regulations constantly change. The editors encourage readers to carefully search the site for all content related to the topic of interest and consult qualified local counsel to verify the status of specific statutes, laws, regulations, and precedential court holdings.

ajax-loader-largecaret-downcloseHamburger Menuicon_amazonApple PodcastsBio Iconicon_cards_grid_caretChild Abuse Reporting Laws by State IconChurchSalary Iconicon_facebookGoogle Podcastsicon_instagramLegal Library IconLegal Library Iconicon_linkedinLock IconMegaphone IconOnline Learning IconPodcast IconRecent Legal Developments IconRecommended Reading IconRSS IconSubmiticon_select-arrowSpotify IconAlaska State MapAlabama State MapArkansas State MapArizona State MapCalifornia State MapColorado State MapConnecticut State MapWashington DC State MapDelaware State MapFederal MapFlorida State MapGeorgia State MapHawaii State MapIowa State MapIdaho State MapIllinois State MapIndiana State MapKansas State MapKentucky State MapLouisiana State MapMassachusetts State MapMaryland State MapMaine State MapMichigan State MapMinnesota State MapMissouri State MapMississippi State MapMontana State MapMulti State MapNorth Carolina State MapNorth Dakota State MapNebraska State MapNew Hampshire State MapNew Jersey State MapNew Mexico IconNevada State MapNew York State MapOhio State MapOklahoma State MapOregon State MapPennsylvania State MapRhode Island State MapSouth Carolina State MapSouth Dakota State MapTennessee State MapTexas State MapUtah State MapVirginia State MapVermont State MapWashington State MapWisconsin State MapWest Virginia State MapWyoming State IconShopping Cart IconTax Calendar Iconicon_twitteryoutubepauseplay
caret-downclosefacebook-squarehamburgerinstagram-squarelinkedin-squarepauseplaytwitter-square