Religious Liberty
Tamer Mahmoud v. Monifa McKnight
On October 30, 2023, the ACLU and ACLU of Maryland filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit supporting the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in its efforts to ensure that its English curriculum is LGBTQ-inclusive.
Status: Ongoing
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U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2022
![FBI v. Fazaga Plaintiffs](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/01/Fazaga_scotus-1-Blog-600x400.jpg)
FBI v. Fazaga
In a case scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 8, 2021, three Muslim Americans are challenging the FBI’s secret spying on them and their communities based on their religion, in violation of the Constitution and federal law. In what will likely be a landmark case, the plaintiffs — Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik, and Yasser Abdelrahim — insist that the FBI cannot escape accountability for violating their religious freedom by invoking “state secrets.” The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, the ACLU of Southern California, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Council for American Islamic Relations, and the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
May 2020
![Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey/Trump v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey/Trump v. Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Whether the government had statutory authority under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to expand the conscience exemption to the contraceptive-coverage mandate.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2018
![David Mullins and Charlie Craig](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/01/WEB18-charlie-david-1160x864-600x447.jpg)
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Whether a business open to the public has a constitutional right to discriminate.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Oklahoma
May 2017
![Multi-faith symbols](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/01/web15_dem-antidiscrim-multifaith3-1160x864-600x447.jpg)
Fatihah v. Neal
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, the national ACLU, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations Oklahoma Chapter filed a lawsuit against a "Muslim free" business on behalf of a U.S. Army Reserve member denied service. The lawsuit seeks equal access to public accommodations for Oklahomans of all faiths.
Status: Ongoing
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All Cases
72 Religious Liberty Cases
Missouri
Jan 2012
![Hunter v. Salem Public Library Board of Trustees](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Hunter v. Salem Public Library Board of Trustees
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri have filed a lawsuit charging the Salem Public Library and its board of trustees with unconstitutionally blocking access to websites discussing minority religions by improperly classifying them as “occult” or “criminal.”
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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![Hunter v. Salem Public Library Board of Trustees](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Missouri
Religious Liberty
Hunter v. Salem Public Library Board of Trustees
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri have filed a lawsuit charging the Salem Public Library and its board of trustees with unconstitutionally blocking access to websites discussing minority religions by improperly classifying them as “occult” or “criminal.”
Jan 2012
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Dec 2011
![Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley
Jennifer Keeton, a student at Augusta State University (ASU), sought a court order requiring ASU to reinstate her in a graduate-level counseling program even though she insisted on a right – rooted in her religious beliefs – to counsel lesbian, gay and bisexual clients that being gay is immoral. ASU's counseling program requires its graduate students to adhere to the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics, which prohibits counselors from discriminating based on sexual orientation, among other characteristics, and requires them to avoid imposing their values on their clients. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting ASU's right to require its students to comply with these professional standards when counseling clients.
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![Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Religious Liberty
LGBTQ Rights
Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley
Jennifer Keeton, a student at Augusta State University (ASU), sought a court order requiring ASU to reinstate her in a graduate-level counseling program even though she insisted on a right – rooted in her religious beliefs – to counsel lesbian, gay and bisexual clients that being gay is immoral. ASU's counseling program requires its graduate students to adhere to the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics, which prohibits counselors from discriminating based on sexual orientation, among other characteristics, and requires them to avoid imposing their values on their clients. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting ASU's right to require its students to comply with these professional standards when counseling clients.
Dec 2011
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Michigan
Oct 2011
![Ward v. Wilbanks et al.](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Ward v. Wilbanks et al.
A student in a counseling program claims a right to discriminate against clients who wish to discuss same-sex relationships on the grounds that it violates her religious beliefs.
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![Ward v. Wilbanks et al.](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Michigan
Religious Liberty
LGBTQ Rights
Ward v. Wilbanks et al.
A student in a counseling program claims a right to discriminate against clients who wish to discuss same-sex relationships on the grounds that it violates her religious beliefs.
Oct 2011
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U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2011
![Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Whether the Americans with Disabilities Act may be constitutionally applied to a religious school's retaliatory firing of a teacher terminated for reasons unrelated to religion.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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![Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
U.S. Supreme Court
Religious Liberty
Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Whether the Americans with Disabilities Act may be constitutionally applied to a religious school's retaliatory firing of a teacher terminated for reasons unrelated to religion.
Aug 2011
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Jul 2011
![Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, et al. v. Kurt Browning](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, et al. v. Kurt Browning
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Florida joined other civil liberties, religious and education organizations in filing a lawsuit challenging the ballot language of a proposed Florida amendment that would eliminate Florida’s ban on taxpayer funding of religious organizations and create a virtual requirement that public funds be used to support religious institutions – institutions that hold beliefs to which many Floridians don't subscribe.
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![Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, et al. v. Kurt Browning](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Religious Liberty
Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, et al. v. Kurt Browning
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Florida joined other civil liberties, religious and education organizations in filing a lawsuit challenging the ballot language of a proposed Florida amendment that would eliminate Florida’s ban on taxpayer funding of religious organizations and create a virtual requirement that public funds be used to support religious institutions – institutions that hold beliefs to which many Floridians don't subscribe.
Jul 2011
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