Court Cases
- Sherbert vs. Verner- A member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church was fired because she refused to work on Saturday, her Sabbath. She filed for unemployment benefits, but she was denied because her reason for unemployment wasn't good enough. Her claim for being denied her free exercise of religion was rejected by the lower courts. The Supreme Court, however, ruled 7-2 in favor of her refusal to work on her Sabbath. This decision caused the states to recognize the requirements of faith. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Hardison vs. Trans World Airlines- Hardison was hired as a clerk in the stores section of the Trans World Airlines. He was told to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. He switched to a different section because of the conflict with his Sabbath. He did not receive a schedule working with his Sabbath. He was fired for refusing to work on his Sabbath. The Court decided that the Trans World Airlines went too far to create a schedule that adapted to Hardison's Sabbath. The other employees, after this exploit, were permitted to change their schedules according to their religious beliefs.
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- Engel vs. Vitale- In 1951, the New York State Board of Regents allowed a 22-word prayer in public schools across New York. The board thought it would instill character and citizenship into the students. Participation in this prayer was voluntary. The prayer was to be said aloud in the presence of a teacher. However, 10 parents disagreed with this. They chose to go to court and attempt to ban this prayer. They thought it was against the students religious beliefs. The question was: is this unconstitutional? Was it aligned with the First Amendment? The parents argued that the separation of church and state meant that the government was forbidden from establishing religious activities in public places. The Regents of the State of New York stated that the prayer was optional for anyone who wanted to participate. The Court ruled 6-1 in favor of the parents. They said that the prayer was unconstitutional because it went against the First Amendment. After this ruling, government could not issue any type of prayer that would be an official prayer in religious activities.