Sample Solution

The Supreme Court case of Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993) is a significant example in the history of American religious freedom and serves as an important reminder that governments should not be able to infringe upon the rights or practices of any particular religion. The case centered on two ordinances passed by the City of Hialeah which banned animal sacrifice on the basis that it was cruel and unsanitary (Hoffman et al., 2019). In response, members from the Santeria church argued that these ordinances violated their religion’s First Amendment right to practice freely without interference from government forces (Hoffman et al., 2019).

In its ruling, the Supreme Court ultimately declared both ordinances unconstitutional – citing them as violations against religious expression – and sided with members from the Santeria church who argued for broader protection under religious freedom laws. The court noted that while some may consider certain aspects of Santeria to be distasteful, this does not give public officials grounds to impose limitations or prohibitions against its practice (Church Of Lukumi Babalu Aye V. City Of Hialeah, 1993).

I believe that this decision was right given how it upheld fundamental principles found within our Constitution protecting individual freedoms – including those relating to religion. As stated by Justice Kennedy in his majority opinion, “We cannot accept the view…that constitutional protection can be defined by reference only to majoritarian approval” (Church Of Lukumi Babalu Aye V. City Of Hialeah , 1993). This understanding is essential when considering issues related to religious liberty; otherwise we risk creating a society where minority voices are silenced at whim due to lack of societal acceptance.