List of United States Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment

This is a list of cases that appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States involving the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The establishment of religion

Blue laws

McGowan v. Maryland (1961) Braunfeld v. Brown (1961) Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Mass., Inc. (1961) Thornton v. Caldor (1985)

Government aid to church-related schools Cochran v. Louisiana State Board of Education, Everson v. Board of Education, Board of Ed. of Central School Dist. No. 1 v. Allen, Lemon v. Kurtzman, Tilton v. Richardson, Lemon v. Kurtzman II, Levitt v. Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty, Hunt v. McNair, Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Nyquist, Sloan v. Lemon, Wheeler v. Barrera, Public Funds for Public Schools v. Marburger (1974) Meek v. Pittenger, Roemer v. Board of Public Works of Maryland, Wolman v. Walter, New York v. Cathedral Academy, Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Regan, Mueller v. Allen, School Dist. of Grand Rapids v. Ball, Aguilar v. Felton, Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind, Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District, Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, Agostini v. Felton, Mitchell v. Helms, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, Locke v. Davey, Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue,

Government-sponsored religious displays Lynch v. Donnelly, Board of Trustees of Scarsdale v. McCreary, County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union, Van Orden v. Perry, McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union, Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, Salazar v. Buono, American Legion v. American Humanist Association,

Legislative prayer Marsh v. Chambers, Town of Greece v. Galloway,

Internal religious affairs (also involving the Free Exercise Clause) Watson v. Jones, United States v. Ballard, Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Cathedral of Russian Orthodox Church in North America, Kreshik v. St. Nicholas Cathedral, Presbyterian Church v. Hull Church, Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America & Canada v. Milivojevich, Jones v. Wolf, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan v. Acevedo Feliciano,

Ministerial exception Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru,

Private religious speech Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District, Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board v. Pinette, Rosenberger v. University of Virginia, Good News Club v. Milford Central School, Shurtleff v. City of Boston,

Religion in public schools McCollum v. Board of Education, Zorach v. Clauson, Engel v. Vitale, Abington School District v. Schempp, Epperson v. Arkansas, Stone v. Graham, Wallace v. Jaffree, Edwards v. Aguillard, Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens, Lee v. Weisman, Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District,

Religious institution functioning as a government agency Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc., Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet,

Standing to sue Flast v. Cohen, Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church & State, Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn,

Statutory religious exemptions Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York, Bob Jones University v. United States, Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc., Corporation of Presiding Bishop of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. Amos, Texas Monthly, Inc. v. Bullock, City of Boerne v. Flores, Cutter v. Wilkinson,

Unequal government treatment of different religious groups Larson v. Valente,

Abortion and contraception Harris v. McRae, Bowen v. Kendrick,

Other Torcaso v. Watkins (1961) McDaniel v. Paty (1978) Trump v. Hawaii (2018)

The free exercise of religion Exclusion of religion from public benefits Locke v. Davey, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, Carson v. Makin, Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond,

Polygamy

Reynolds v. United States (1878) Davis v. Beason (1890)

Free exercise and eminent domain Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association (1988) City of Boerne v. Flores (1997)

Free exercise and free speech R. A. V. v. City of St. Paul (1992) Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001) Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal (2006) Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021)

Free exercise and public education Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) Widmar v. Vincent (1981) Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens (1990) Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District (1993) Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (1995) Kennedy v. Bremerton School District,

Free exercise and public property Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board v. Pinette (1995)

Internal religious affairs (also involving the Establishment Clause) Watson v. Jones, United States v. Ballard, Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Cathedral of Russian Orthodox Church in North America, Kreshik v. St. Nicholas Cathedral, Presbyterian Church v. Hull Church, Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America & Canada v. Milivojevich, Jones v. Wolf, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan v. Acevedo Feliciano,

Ministerial exception Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru,

Religion and the right to work Sherbert v. Verner (1963) Trans World Airlines v. Hardison (1977) Ohio Civil Rights Commission v. Dayton Christian Schools (1986) Corporation of Presiding Bishop of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. Amos (1987) Employment Division v. Smith (1990)

Religious tests for public service or benefits Torcaso v. Watkins (1961) McDaniel v. Paty (1978) Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division (1981) Goldman v. Weinberger (1986) Bowen v. Roy (1986)

Ritual sacrifice of animals Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993)

Solicitation by religious groups Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940) Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) Cox v. New Hampshire (1941) Jones v. City of Opelika (I) (1942) Marsh v. Alabama (1942) Murdock v. Pennsylvania (1943) Jones v. City of Opelika (II) (1943) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) Prince v. Massachusetts (1944) Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (1981) Watchtower Society v. Village of Stratton (2002)

Statutory religious exemptions Religious Freedom Restoration Act

Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., Zubik v. Burwell, Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, Tanzin v. Tanvir,

Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

Sossamon v. Texas, Holt v. Hobbs, Ramirez v. Collier,

Other Sause v. Bauer, Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (2020) Tandon v. Newsom (2021)

Freedom of speech

Campaign finance Buckley v. Valeo, First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, California Medical Association v. FEC, Citizens Against Rent Control v. City of Berkeley, FEC v. National Right to Work Committee, FEC v. National Conservative PAC, FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Eu v. S.F. Cty. Democratic Cent. Comm., Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC, Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC, FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, FEC v. Beaumont, McConnell v. FEC, Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. FEC, Randall v. Sorrell, FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., Davis v. FEC, Citizens United v. FEC, Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett, American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock, McCutcheon v. FEC, Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar, Thompson v. Hebdon, FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate,

Commercial speech Valentine v. Chrestensen (1942) Rowan v. U.S. Post Office Dept. (1970) Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (1973) Lehman v. Shaker Heights (1974) Bigelow v. Commonwealth of Virginia (1974) Virginia State Pharmacy Board v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976) Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977) Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Willingboro (1977) Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Assn. (1978) Friedman v. Rogers (1979) Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission (1980) Consol. Edison Co. v. Public Serv. Comm'n (1980) Metromedia, Inc. v. San Diego (1981) Hoffman Estates v. The Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. (1982) Bolger v. Youngs Drug Products Corp. (1983) Edenfield v. Fane (1993) 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island (1996) Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (2017) Iancu v. Brunetti (2019)

Compelled speech Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo (1974) Wooley v. Maynard (1977) Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society (2013) National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra (2018) Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society (2020) 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023)

Compelled commercial speech Zauderer v. Office of Disciplinary Counsel of Supreme Court of Ohio (1985) Riley v. National Federation of the Blind (1988) Ibanez v. Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Board of Accountancy (1994) Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P.A. v. United States (2010) Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (2017)

Compelled subsidy for speech of others

Cases that consider the First Amendment implications of payments mandated by the state going to use in part for speech by third parties

Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977) Communications Workers of America v. Beck (1978) Chicago Local Teachers Union v. Hudson (1986) Keller v. State Bar of California (1990) Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Ass'n (1991) Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliott Inc. (1997) Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth (2000) United States v. United Foods, Inc. (2001) Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association (2005) Davenport v. Washington Education Association (2007) Locke v. Karass (2008) Knox v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1000 (2012) Harris v. Quinn (2014) Friedrichs v. California Teachers Ass'n (2016) Janus v. AFSCME (2018)

Loyalty oaths and affirmations

American Communications Association v. Douds (1950) Garner v. Board of Public Works (1951) Adler v. Board of Ed. of City of New York (1952) Wieman v. Updegraff (1952) Speiser v. Randall (1958) Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction (1961) Keyishian v. Board of Regents (1965) Communist Party of Indiana v. Whitcomb (1974)

Content-based R. A. V. v. City of St. Paul (1992) Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015) City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC (2022)

Content-neutral City of Ladue v. Gilleo (1994)

Sedition and imminent danger Debs v. United States (1919) Schenck v. United States (1919) Abrams v. United States (1919) Gitlow v. New York (1925) Whitney v. California (1927) Dennis v. United States (1951) Communist Party v. Subversive Activities Control Board (1955) Yates v. United States (1957) Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)

False speech