582 U.S. ___ (2017)
Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v.
Does the exclusion of churches from a generally available and religiously neutral public benefit, solely due to their religious status, violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment?
A law or policy that discriminates against religious entities solely based on their religious character, where it disadvantages them from receiving generally available and neutral public benefits, violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment unless justified by a particularly compelling government interest.
The Supreme Court held that the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran Church from the playground resurfacing program, solely due to its religious identity, violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.
This case is crucial for law students studying constitutional law as it illustrates the Court’s evolving approach to the Free Exercise Clause. The ruling clarifies the principle that states cannot discriminate against organizations solely based on their religious status when offering public benefits. It confirms the importance of religious neutrality in governmental programs and establishes a significant precedent for future cases involving the rights of religious organizations to access public benefits.