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
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2011
![Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn
Whether Arizona’s use of tax credits funneled through state-certified and state-supervised non-profits to award student scholarships based on religious criteria and for use in religious schools violates the Establishment Clause.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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![Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
U.S. Supreme Court
Religious Liberty
Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn
Whether Arizona’s use of tax credits funneled through state-certified and state-supervised non-profits to award student scholarships based on religious criteria and for use in religious schools violates the Establishment Clause.
Apr 2011
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Georgia
Dec 2010
![Valentine v. City of Douglasville](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Valentine v. City of Douglasville
In December 2008, Lisa Valentine, a devout Muslim, accompanied her nephew to Douglasville Municipal Court for his traffic hearing. While going through security, she was informed by an officer that she would have to remove her religious head covering before she entered the courtroom, due the court's "no headgear" policy. When she protested the policy, believing it to be a violation of her right to freely practice her faith, she was restrained, arrested, forced to remove her headscarf, and jailed.
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![Valentine v. City of Douglasville](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Georgia
Religious Liberty
+2 Issues
Valentine v. City of Douglasville
In December 2008, Lisa Valentine, a devout Muslim, accompanied her nephew to Douglasville Municipal Court for his traffic hearing. While going through security, she was informed by an officer that she would have to remove her religious head covering before she entered the courtroom, due the court's "no headgear" policy. When she protested the policy, believing it to be a violation of her right to freely practice her faith, she was restrained, arrested, forced to remove her headscarf, and jailed.
Dec 2010
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U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2010
![](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/blog_prisoners-rights_0.jpg)
Sossamon v. Texas
Whether the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, which was designed in part to protect the religious rights of prisoners, allows prisoners to sue a state for money damages when a state violates those religious rights.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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![](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/blog_prisoners-rights_0.jpg)
U.S. Supreme Court
Religious Liberty
+3 Issues
Sossamon v. Texas
Whether the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, which was designed in part to protect the religious rights of prisoners, allows prisoners to sue a state for money damages when a state violates those religious rights.
Aug 2010
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2010
![Christian Legal Society v. Martinez](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Christian Legal Society v. Martinez
Whether a public university may require a student club to comply with the university's non-discrimination policy in order to receive official recognition and university funding.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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![Christian Legal Society v. Martinez](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
U.S. Supreme Court
Religious Liberty
+2 Issues
Christian Legal Society v. Martinez
Whether a public university may require a student club to comply with the university's non-discrimination policy in order to receive official recognition and university funding.
Jun 2010
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2010
![Salazar v. Buono](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
Salazar v. Buono
Whether a congressional statute transferring a small parcel of land in the Mojave Desert National Preserve to private owners satisfies the government's obligation to cure the Establishment Clause violation created by a Latin cross on public land, when the government also designates the cross as a national memorial and retains a reversionary interest in the land.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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![Salazar v. Buono](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/fallback-case-gavel.png)
U.S. Supreme Court
Religious Liberty
Salazar v. Buono
Whether a congressional statute transferring a small parcel of land in the Mojave Desert National Preserve to private owners satisfies the government's obligation to cure the Establishment Clause violation created by a Latin cross on public land, when the government also designates the cross as a national memorial and retains a reversionary interest in the land.
Apr 2010
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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