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Davis v. Beason
Courts of the United States have jurisdiction to hear charges related to polygamy even though it be part of a religious belief. -
Murdock v. Pennsylvania
Free Exercise claim upheld; A Pennsylvania ordinance imposing a license tax for those selling merchandise when such material is religious in nature violates the Free Exercise clause. -
McCollum v. Board of Education
The use of public school facilities by religious organizations to give religious instruction to school children violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. -
Yates vs. United States
The Court held that for the Smith Act to be violated, people must be encouraged to do something, rather than merely to believe in something. The Court drew a distinction between a statement of an idea and the advocacy that a certain action be taken. -
McGowan v. Maryland
Laws proscribing or limiting Sunday trading are not necessarily unconstitutional. -
Walz vs. tax commision of the state of NewYork
Grants of tax exemption to religious organizations do not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. -
Edwards v. Aguillard
Teaching creationism in public schools is unconstitutional because it attempts to advance a particular religion. -
Texas vs. Johnson
A statute that criminalizes the desecration of the American flag violates the First Amendment. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed. -
RAV vs City of St. Paul
The St. Paul Bias-Motivated Crime Ordinance was struck down both because it was overbroad, proscribing both "fighting words" and protected speech, and because the regulation was "content-based," proscribing only activities which conveyed messages concerning particular topics. Judgment of the Supreme Court of Minnesota reversed. -
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
The Court ruled that the Ohio program did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because it passed a five part test developed by the Court. -
elk grove unified school district v. newdow
A noncustodial parent alleged that his child's school violated the Establishment Clause by leading students in the recital of the phrase "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. The issue of whether "one nation under God" is constitutional, however, was not ruled on.