Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
E67059
Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security is a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court case that held a state could not deny unemployment benefits to a worker who refused Sunday work for sincere religious reasons, even though he was not a member of an organized religion.
Aliases (2)
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
First Amendment case
→
United States Supreme Court case → free exercise of religion case → |
| appliedToStatesThrough |
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
|
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
→
employment law → unemployment compensation → |
| citation |
489 U.S. 829
→
|
| citationStyle |
Frazee v. Ill. Dep't of Emp't Sec., 489 U.S. 829 (1989)
→
|
| comparedWithCase |
Employment Division v. Smith
→
|
| constitutionalProvision |
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| court |
Supreme Court of the United States
→
|
| decisionCategory |
religious liberty decision
→
|
| decisionDate |
1989
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|
| decisionType |
unanimous decision
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|
| factSummary |
Illinois denied Frazee unemployment benefits on the ground that his refusal to work Sunday was not based on the tenets of an established church
→
William Frazee refused a temporary retail job because it required Sunday work, which conflicted with his sincere religious belief that Sunday is the Sabbath → |
| fullCaseName |
William Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
→
|
| holding |
A state may not deny unemployment benefits to a person who refuses Sunday work based on sincere religious beliefs solely because he is not a member of an organized religious denomination
→
Sincere religious beliefs are protected by the Free Exercise Clause even if they are not part of an organized religion → |
| jurisdiction |
Illinois
→
|
| languageOfOpinion |
English
→
|
| legalIssue |
denial of unemployment benefits based on refusal to work on Sunday for religious reasons
→
scope of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment → |
| opinionOfTheCourtBy |
Byron R. White
NERFINISHED
→
|
| page |
829
→
|
| petitioner |
William Frazee
NERFINISHED
→
|
| precededByCase |
Sherbert v. Verner
→
Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division → |
| precedentFor |
protection of individual, non‑denominational religious beliefs in benefits cases
→
|
| relatedDoctrine |
Free Exercise Clause
→
religious exemptions from generally applicable laws → |
| remedy |
case remanded for proceedings consistent with the Supreme Court's opinion
→
|
| reporter |
United States Reports
→
|
| respondent |
Illinois Department of Employment Security
→
|
| result |
denial of unemployment benefits was reversed
→
|
| ruleOfLaw |
The Free Exercise Clause protects sincerely held religious beliefs regardless of membership in an organized religion
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|
| stateParty |
State of Illinois
→
|
| subjectMatter |
unemployment insurance benefits
→
|
| volume |
489
→
|
| yearArgued |
1989
→
|
| yearDecided |
1989
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
("Frazee v. Ill. Dep't of Emp't Sec., 489 U.S. 829 (1989)")
→
|
citationStyle |
|
Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
("William Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security")
→
|
fullCaseName |
|
Sherbert v. Verner
→
|
precedentFor |