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The Search For A Distinct Religious-Liberty Jurisprudence Under The Washington State Constitution, Katie Hosford

Washington Law Review

Article I, Section 11, of the Washington Constitution, titled "Religious Freedom," provides more protection for free exercise of religion and the separation of church and state than the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Because the state constitution provides broader protection for each right, a natural tension arises between the two rights. However, rather than relying on the text of the state constitution, the Supreme Court of Washington has imposed an entirely federal analysis on free exercise cases brought under Washington law. In addition, the establishment cases under Article I, Section 11, have inconsistently interpreted the language of the state …