Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division
E67057
First Amendment case
U.S. Supreme Court case
United States constitutional law case
free exercise of religion case
Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division is a 1981 U.S. Supreme Court case that applied strict scrutiny to a denial of unemployment benefits based on an individual’s religiously motivated refusal to perform certain work, reinforcing robust protections for free exercise of religion.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
First Amendment case
→
U.S. Supreme Court case → United States constitutional law case → free exercise of religion case → |
| areaOfLaw |
United States First Amendment jurisprudence
→
|
| arguedDate |
1980-11-04
→
|
| citation |
450 U.S. 707
→
|
| concurrenceBy |
Justice Potter Stewart
NERFINISHED
→
Justice William J. Brennan Jr. NERFINISHED → |
| constitutionalProvision |
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
Free Exercise Clause → |
| court |
Supreme Court of the United States
→
|
| decisionDate |
1981-04-06
→
|
| dissentBy |
Justice John Paul Stevens
NERFINISHED
→
|
| factPattern |
Jehovah’s Witness employee quit job after transfer to department producing turrets for military tanks
→
|
| fullName |
Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division
→
|
| holding |
Denial of unemployment benefits to a worker who quit his job because of religious objections to producing armaments violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
→
|
| issue |
whether denial of unemployment benefits for refusing work on religious grounds violates the Free Exercise Clause
→
|
| jurisdiction |
State of Indiana
→
United States → |
| legalSubject |
constitutional law
→
labor and employment law → unemployment compensation → |
| majorityJustices |
Byron R. White
NERFINISHED
→
Harry A. Blackmun NERFINISHED → Lewis F. Powell Jr. NERFINISHED → Potter Stewart NERFINISHED → Thurgood Marshall → Warren E. Burger → William H. Rehnquist → William J. Brennan Jr. NERFINISHED → |
| majorityOpinionBy |
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger
→
|
| pageInUnitedStatesReports |
707
→
|
| petitioner |
Eddie C. Thomas
→
|
| principle |
courts may not question the reasonableness of a religious belief, only its sincerity
→
government may not condition receipt of unemployment benefits on conduct that violates sincerely held religious beliefs absent a compelling state interest → |
| relatedCase |
Employment Division v. Smith
→
Sherbert v. Verner → Wisconsin v. Yoder → |
| respondent |
Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division
→
|
| result |
Indiana’s denial of unemployment benefits was reversed
→
|
| shortName |
Thomas v. Review Board
→
|
| standardOfReview |
strict scrutiny
→
|
| stateParty |
Indiana
→
|
| topic |
conscientious objection
→
religious liberty → unemployment benefits → |
| volumeOfUnitedStatesReports |
450
→
|
| yearDecided |
1981
→
|
Referenced by (7)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Hobbie v. Unemployment Appeals Commission of Florida
→
Sherbert test ("Thomas v. Review Board") → |
relatedCase |
|
Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division
→
|
fullName |
|
Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
→
|
precededByCase |
|
Sherbert v. Verner
→
|
precedentFor |
|
Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division
("Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division")
→
|
respondent |
|
Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division
("Thomas v. Review Board")
→
|
shortName |