Cases with Commentaries
Sorted by Year, Click here to sort by Case Name.

Case Name	Year	Decision of the Court	Topic Group(s)
Watson v. Jones, 80 U.S. (13 Wall.) 679	1871	Courts may not interfere in matters of church doctrine, discipline, or polity.	Church Autonomy Intra-Church Disputes
Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary, 268 U.S. 510	1925	Invalidating state law requiring attendance at public schools.	Parental Rights Religious Schools and Colleges
Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296	1940	State may not unduly suppress communication of religious views under guise of conserving public peace, or deciding what is a legitimate "religion" for solicitation purposes; Free Exercise Clause applied to state and local governments through Fourteenth Amendment.	Incorporation by Fourteenth Amendment Jehovah's Witnesses Religious Speech
Minersville Sch. Dist. v. Gobitis, 310 U.S. 586	1940	A requirement that pupils salute the flag in daily school exercises is not violative of due process	Flag Salute Jehovah's Witnesses Religious Speech
Everson v. Bd. of Educ., 330 U.S. 1	1947	Upheld law providing reimbursement to parents for cost of transporting children to religious schools; Establishment Clause applied to state and local governments through Fourteenth Amendment.	Government Benefit to Religious Entities Incorporation by Fourteenth Amendment Religious Schools and Colleges
McCollum v. Bd. of Educ., 333 U.S. 203	1948	Invalidating program allowing clerics to hold religion classes in public schools during school hours.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools Released Time
Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306	1952	Upheld program allowing students to attend religion classes off public school grounds.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools Released Time
Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488	1961	Declaration of belief in existence of God as requirement for public office unconstitutional.	Oaths Religious Tests for Public Office
Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421	1962	Disallowed state program of daily classroom prayer.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools
Sch. Dist. of Abington Township v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203	1963	Disallowed practice of daily classroom prayer and devotional Bible recitation.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools
Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398	1963	Refusal to take a job due to religious beliefs does not disqualify claimant for unemployment compensation.	Unemployment Compensation
Board of Educ. v. Allen, 392 U.S. 236	1968	Upheld state law requiring secular textbooks be provided to private and public schools.	Government Benefit to Religious Entities Religious Schools and Colleges
Walz v. Tax Comm'n, 397 U.S. 664	1970	Upheld property tax exemption for churches.	Statutory Exemptions for Religious Persons/Entities Tax Exemptions
Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602	1971	Disallowed law appropriating salary supplements for private school teachers; disallowed law authorizing purchase of services from private schools by reimbursing them for teacher salaries, textbooks, and instructional material.	Government Benefit to Religious Entities Religious Schools and Colleges
Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205	1972	State law requiring all children to attend school until the age of 16, regardless of religious belief, disallowed.	Compulsory Education Parental Rights
Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39 (per curiam)	1980	Disallowed state law requiring posting of Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools
Thomas v. Review Bd., 450 U.S. 707	1981	Denial of unemployment benefits because religious beliefs forbade production of armaments violated First Amendment.	Jehovah's Witnesses Military Service Unemployment Compensation
Widmar v. Vincent, 454 U.S. 263	1981	Disallowed restrictions on religious groups meeting in state university buildings.	Equal Access in Schools
Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783	1983	Upheld state practice of hiring chaplain and offering prayers in the legislature.	Legislative Prayer
Mueller v. Allen, 463 U.S. 388	1983	Upheld tax deduction by religious school parents of education-related expenses.	Government Benefit to Religious Entities Religious Schools and Colleges Tax Deductions/Credits
Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668	1984	Upheld government practice of displaying nativity scene as part of a holiday display.	Religious Symbols/Creches/Ten Commandments
Aguilar v. Felton, 473 U.S. 402	1985	Disallowed practice of providing and monitoring federally funded Title I remedial services at private schools.	Government Benefit to Religious Entities Religious Schools and Colleges
Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38	1985	Disallowed state law requiring moment of silence for prayer or meditation in public schools.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools
Employment Div. v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872	1990	Upheld denial of compensation where workers were fired after using peyote for sacramental purposes; Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963), compelling interest test rejected.	Native American Religious Liberty Unemployment Compensation
Westside Bd. of Educ. v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226 (plurality in part)	1990	Upheld Equal Access Act.	Equal Access in Schools Prayer/Religion in Public Schools
Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. 577	1992	Disallowed practice of clergy offering prayers during public school graduation ceremonies.	Prayer/Religion in Public Schools
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640	2000	*As a values-inculcating organization, the Boy Scouts have a right of expressive association which is founded upon the Speech Clause and which ensures that the organization may enlist and engage exclusively like-minded individuals in their service even when doing so would otherwise violate a civil rights act.	Expressive Association
Mitchell v. Helms, 530 U.S. 1296	2000	*Federal act providing library books and educational equipment to K-12 schools is constitutional.	Government Benefit to Religious Entities Religious Schools and Colleges
Elk Grove Unified Sch. Dist. v. Newdow, 542 U.S. 1	2004	Non-custodial father of minor does not have standing to challenge his daughter’s voluntary recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag.	Flag Salute Prayer/Religion in Public Schools Religious Speech
Locke v. Davey, 540 U.S. 712	2004	Student who earned state scholarship to attend any accredited institution of higher education in state, may be denied the right to use the funding to seek a degree in theology; Free Exercise Clause not violated.	Discrimination Against Religion Government Benefit to Religious Entities

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