The Free Exercise of Religion Clause: Its Constitutional History and the Contemporary Debate

Thomas C. Berg, THE FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION CLAUSE, Prometheus Books, 2007

U of St. Thomas Legal Studies Research Paper No. 08-08

Posted: 9 Apr 2008

See all articles by Thomas C. Berg

Thomas C. Berg

University of St. Thomas, St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN - School of Law

Date Written: 2007

Abstract

This book, the second in a series published by Prometheus Books on the provisions of the Bill of Rights, collects excerpts from important recent academic scholarship on the Free Exercise Clause. The central question is that addressed by the Supreme Court in the Peyote Case, Employment Division v. Smith: the extent to which free exercise encompasses the right to be free from burdens imposed upon religious practice by laws or regulations not specifically directed at religious practice. Topics covered include, among others, the historical background of religious freedom in the founding era, the normative debate on whether and why religious practice merits special constitutional protection, the challenge of identifying principled boundaries between religious freedom and legal duties, the relative roles of legislatures and courts in protecting religious freedom, and the distinctive considerations raised by the free exercise claims of religious institutions as opposed to individuals. The book is intended to serve as a supplement to case materials on religion and the First Amendment. In addition, because recent debates have focused on whether free exercise is best protected by legislatures as opposed to courts, and by context-specific exemptions as opposed to general constitutional or statutory standards, the book should be of use to those studying the dynamics of governmental institutions and of civil liberties protection.

Keywords: Free Exercise of Religion, Free Exercise Clause, Religion Clause, First Amendment, Bill of Rights, Constitutional history, religious freedom, religious liberty, law and religion

Suggested Citation

Berg, Thomas Charles, The Free Exercise of Religion Clause: Its Constitutional History and the Contemporary Debate (2007). Thomas C. Berg, THE FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION CLAUSE, Prometheus Books, 2007, U of St. Thomas Legal Studies Research Paper No. 08-08, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1118177

Thomas Charles Berg (Contact Author)

University of St. Thomas, St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN - School of Law ( email )

1000 La Salle Avenue
Mail # MSL400
Minneapolis, MN 55403-2015
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
1,686
PlumX Metrics