Facts of the Case Lemon v. Kurtzman involved challenges to state laws in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island that provided financial aid to religious schools. In Pennsylvania, the law allowed the state to reimburse religious schools for expenses related to teachers’ salaries, textbooks, and instructional materials in subjects that were also taught in public schools. In […]

Facts of the Case Thomas Van Orden, a Texas resident, challenged the constitutionality of a Ten Commandments monument that was located on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The monument, which had been donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in 1961, was one of several monuments on the Capitol grounds. Van […]

Facts of the Case The town of Greece, New York, began its monthly town board meetings with a prayer delivered by invited clergy. While the prayers were predominantly Christian, the town did not exclude other faiths, and on occasion, non-Christian clergy were invited. Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, residents of Greece, filed a lawsuit arguing […]

Case Summary by Plaintiff: American Civil Liberties Union The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleges that the SVSD’s refusal to grant the ASSC equal access to school facilities gives a “heckler’s veto” to those who dislike the group’s religious viewpoint, even though the Free Speech Clause of […]

Facts of the Case Lorie Smith, the owner of 303 Creative LLC, a web design company in Colorado, wanted to expand her business to include custom wedding websites. However, she intended to decline requests to create websites for same-sex weddings due to her religious beliefs that marriage should be between one man and one woman. […]

Facts of the Case In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado, to order a custom wedding cake for their same-sex marriage celebration. The shop’s owner, Jack Phillips, declined their request, citing his religious beliefs that opposed same-sex marriage. Craig and Mullins filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights […]

Facts of the Case Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a for-profit corporation owned by the Green family, operates under Christian principles. The Green family objected to providing certain forms of contraception through their company’s health insurance plan, as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Specifically, they objected to methods that they believe prevent the implantation […]

Facts of the Case Samuel Roth, a New York City publisher and book distributor, was convicted under a federal statute for mailing obscene circulars and an obscene book in violation of the Comstock Act of 1873. The case was consolidated with Alberts v. California, in which David Alberts was convicted under a California statute for […]

Facts of the Case In 1984, during the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, Gregory Lee Johnson participated in a political protest against the policies of the Reagan administration. As part of the protest, Johnson doused an American flag with kerosene and set it on fire while protesters chanted. He was arrested and charged under […]