Welsh v. United States, 398 U.S. 333; 90 S. Ct. 1792; 26 L. Ed. 2d 308 (1970) Facts—Welsh was convicted in federal court for refusing to submit to induction into the armed forces, after his application for conscientious objector classification…

Marsh v. Alabama, 326 U.S. 501; 66 S. Ct. 276; 90 L. Ed. 265 (1946) Facts—Grace Marsh, a Jehovah’s Witness, was distributing religious literature on the street of a privately owned town named Chickasaw that was owned by the Gulf…

Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 U.S. 105; 63 S. Ct. 870; 87 L. Ed. 1292 (1943) Facts—The city of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, had an ordinance requiring all solicitors to get a license from the treasurer of the borough. The petitioners were Jehovah’s…

Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296; 60 S. Ct. 900; 84 L. Ed. 1213 (1940) Facts—Newton Cantwell and other Jehovah’s Witnesses went from house to house in New Haven, Connecticut, selling books. They were equipped with a record player that…

Reynolds v. United States, 98 U.S. 145; 25 L. Ed. 244; 1848 U.S. LEXIS 1374 (1879) Facts—George Reynolds was convicted in a District Court in the territory of Utah for bigamy. In addition to claiming that a number of procedural…

McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union, 545 U.S. 844; 125 S. Ct. 2722; 162 L. Ed. 2d 729 (2005) Facts—Two Kentucky counties (McCreary and Pulaski) exhibited the Ten Commandments in their courthouses. After challenges, they subsequently twice posted two…

Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677, 125 S. Ct. 2854; 162 L. Ed. 2d 607 (2005) Facts—Thomas Van Orden, a native Texan and once-licensed lawyer, challenged the existence of a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of…

Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639; 122 S. Ct. 2460 (2002) Facts—Ohio adopted a Pilot Project Scholarship Program to enhance educa- tional choice by providing tuition aid for parents in under-performing school districts, like that in Cleveland, which were under…

Good News Club v. Milford Central School, 533 U.S. 98; 121 S. Ct. 2093; 150 L. Ed. 2d 151 (2001) Facts—Milford Central School barred the Good News Club, an evangelical Christian organization, from using its facilities after hours. A U.S.…

Santa Fe School District v. Doe, 530 U.S. 290; 120 S. Ct. 2266; 147 L. Ed. 2d 295 (2000) Facts—Two sets of students and parents brought suit against the Santa Fe School District in Texas for policies related to student…