Religious Liberty and the American Supreme Court

The Essential Cases and Documents

By (author) Vincent Phillip Munoz

Hardback - £129.00

Publication date:

18 July 2013

Length of book:

654 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Dimensions:

259x185mm
7x10"

ISBN-13: 9781442208278

Throughout American history, legal battles concerning the First Amendment’s protection of religious liberty have been among the most contentious issue of the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Religious Liberty and the American Supreme Court: The Essential Cases and Documents represents the most authoritative and up-to-date overview of the landmark cases that have defined religious freedom in America. Noted religious liberty expert Vincent Philip Munoz (Notre Dame) provides carefully edited excerpts from over fifty of the most important Supreme Court religious liberty cases. In addition, Munoz’s substantive introduction offers an overview on the constitutional history of religious liberty in America. Introductory headnotes to each case provides the constitutional and historical context. Religious Liberty and the American Constitution will be an indispensable resource for anyone interested matters of religious freedom from the Republics earliest days to current debates.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”; and most citizens take this amendment very seriously. This volume looks at 64 Supreme Court cases, from 1879 to 2012, where the separation of church and state comes into question. Each entry opens with the vote and a narrative description of the case, followed by excerpts from primary sources. Seven additional historical documents include Thomas Jefferson’s 'A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia,' from 1786, and George Washington’s 'Letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport,' from 1790. A thorough index and a supplemental table of contents of cases by subject matter offer easy navigation. Recommended for most public and academic libraries.