Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah

Case Overview

Unanimously struck down Hialeah ordinances banning ritual animal sacrifice that were drawn to target Santeria worship while exempting comparable secular killing, holding that laws that are not neutral or not generally applicable must satisfy strict scrutiny. The essential counterweight to Employment Division v. Smith and the engine of modern free exercise litigation over targeting and exemptions.