Law Commons^™

Taking Liberties With The First Amendment: Congress, Section 5, And The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Jay S. Bybee

Vanderbilt Law Review

In July 1788 the North Carolina legislature was considering ratification of the Constitution, a constitution that did not contain a Bill of Rights. As the delegates reached the Religious Test Clause, Henry Abbot remarked:

"Some are afraid... that, should the Constitution be received, they would be deprived of the privilege of worshiping God according to their consciences, which would be taking from them a benefit they enjoy under the present constitution. They wish to know if their religious and civil liberties be secured under this system, or whether the general government may not make laws in- fringing their religious liberties.... …

Chief Justice Waite And The "Twin Relic": Reynolds V. United States, C. Peter Magrath

Vanderbilt Law Review

In the landmark case of Reynolds v. United States, the United States Supreme Court held that a general law prohibiting polygamy did not abridge the religious freedom of members of the Mormon faith guaranteed by the first amendment. The author here explores the background of Chief Justice Waite's opinion in Reynolds v. United States: the tenets and development of the Mormon faith in the United States, the character of the Waite Court, and the sources and development of Chief Justice Waite's opinion in the case.