Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith

Q: Who won Smith?

The outcome in Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith was: Anti-Religion. Neutral, generally applicable laws do not require religious exemptions under the First Amendment absent a compelling government interest.

Neutral, generally applicable laws do not require religious exemptions under the First Amendment absent a compelling government interest.

ReligiousLiberty.TV

February 26, 2026

0 min read

Year: 1990 Court: U.S. Supreme Court Outcome: Anti-Religion

Free Exercise

Holding: Neutral, generally applicable laws do not require religious exemptions under the First Amendment absent a compelling government interest.

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Official Documents

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Coverage on ReligiousLiberty.TV

📎 Document links found in our articles: 📄 tile.loc.gov PDF

Church of Gaia’s ayahuasca exemption puts a new kind of church in the federal spotlight February 27, 2026

Cited as context 📎 tile.loc.gov PDF
So Much For Religious Liberty (Forbes) July 8, 2010

Cited as context

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith is a Free Exercise case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990. The court held that neutral, generally applicable laws do not require religious exemptions under the First Amendment absent a compelling government interest. The case resulted in a Anti-Religion outcome.

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