“Religion always wins” rules are bad for religious liberty

Abstract

This chapter examines the First Amendment doctrine that the Supreme Court is now developing. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the Court’s most important recent decision on accommodation, is no victory for religious liberty. It replaces the sensible regime of balancing with a rule whereby religion will almost always be given special treatment, even if that means that nonadherents suffer enormous harm. If this is now to be the authoritative meaning of freedom of religion, then the consensus that once supported it will inevitably collapse. This chapter shows the destructive implications of the decision for the discrimination question—implications that have already been drawn by several federal courts.