Free Exercise Clause

E1214

The Free Exercise Clause is a provision of the U.S. Constitution that protects individuals’ rights to practice their religion without undue government interference.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf constitutional clause
legal doctrine
adoptedOn 1791
allows neutral laws of general applicability to burden religion in some circumstances
appliesTo corporations in some contexts
United States government
surface form: federal government of the United States

individuals
religious organizations
state governments of the United States
basisForDoctrine ministerial exception
category First Amendment to the United States Constitution
surface form: First Amendment rights

civil liberties
freedom of religion
contrastedWith Establishment Clause
draftedBy First United States Congress
enforcedBy Supreme Court of the United States
extendedToStatesBy Fourteenth Amendment
surface form: Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
foundInDocument Bill of Rights
United States Constitution
historicalContext response to concerns about religious persecution
incorporatedThrough Due Process Clause
surface form: Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
influencedBy James Madison
Virginia Declaration of Rights
interpretedInCase Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
Cantwell v. Connecticut
Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah
Employment Division v. Smith
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Reynolds v. United States
Sherbert v. Verner
Wisconsin v. Yoder
languageAppliesTo United States Congress
surface form: Congress
legalStandardHistoricallyAssociatedWith compelling interest test
strict scrutiny
limits government ability to burden religious exercise
locatedInJurisdiction United States of America
surface form: United States
partOf First Amendment to the United States Constitution
prohibits government discrimination based on religion
government interference with religious exercise
laws targeting specific religions
protects free exercise of religion
religious belief
religious practice
protectsAgainst undue government interference with religious practice
relatedLegislation Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
relatedTo religious liberty in the United States
text "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

Referenced by (25)

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

Sherbert test appliesTo Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
Alfred Leo Smith associatedWithConcept Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: free exercise clause
this entity surface form: Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
Sherbert v. Verner constitutionalClause Free Exercise Clause
Wisconsin v. Yoder constitutionalProvision Free Exercise Clause
Adele Sherbert constitutionalProvisionInvolved Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
United States Constitution contains Free Exercise Clause
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia hasLegalIssue Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
Cantwell v. Connecticut holding Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment is applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Wisconsin v. Yoder holding Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the State of Wisconsin from compelling Amish parents to send their children to formal high school after the eighth grade.
this entity surface form: Free Exercise Clause of the United States Constitution
this entity surface form: Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
George Reynolds legalPrincipleAtIssue Free Exercise Clause
this entity surface form: First Amendment free exercise of religion
Assembly Clause oftenInterpretedTogetherWith Free Exercise Clause
Establishment Clause relatedTo Free Exercise Clause
No Religious Test Clause relatedTo Free Exercise Clause
Petition Clause relatedTo Free Exercise Clause
Religious Freedom Restoration Act relatedTo Free Exercise Clause