Religion and the State in American Law

Religion and the State in American Law provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of religion and government in the United States, from historical origins to modern laws and rulings. In addition to extensive coverage of the religion clauses of the First Amendment, it addresses many statutory, regulatory, and common-law developments at both the federal and state levels. Topics include the history of church-state relations and religious liberty, religion in the classroom, and expressions of religion in government. This book also covers the role of religion in specific areas of law such as contracts, taxation, employment, land use regulation, torts, criminal law, and domestic relations as well as in specialized contexts such as prisons and the military. Accessible to the general as well as the professional reader, this book will be of use to scholars, judges, practising lawyers, and the media.

1. Religion and the constitution: history, text, and context; 2. Church and state in the nineteenth century; 3. Religious influences and expressions in law and government; 4. The establishment clause; 5. The free exercise clause; 6. The religious rest, equal protection, and free speech clauses; 7. The definition of religion; 8. Church property disputes and church schisms; 9. Contracts; 10. Taxation; 11. Employment; 12. Land use; 13. Torts; 14. Criminal law and process; 15. Family law; 16. Public education; 17. Religious symbolism on public property; 18. Special contexts: prisons and the military; Appendices.