| Cantwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued March 29, 1940 Decided May 20, 1940 | |
| Full case name | Newton Cantwell, et al. v. State of Connecticut |
| Citations | 310 U.S. 296 (more) |
| Case history | |
| Prior | 126 Conn. 1, 8 A.2d 533; cert. granted, 309 U.S. 626 (1940). |
| Subsequent | None |
| Holding | |
| The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment is incorporated against the states by the Fourteenth Amendment. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Roberts, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amends. I, XIV | |
Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296 (1940), is a landmark court decision[1][2] by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment's federal protection of religious free exercise incorporates via the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and so applies to state governments too.[3]
This decision has been described by legal scholars as one of the pivotal religious liberty cases decided between 1938 and 1946 that strengthened the First Amendment protection of religious liberty and "ushered in a new era of personal liberty protections for all Americans."[4]
- ^ John R. Vile. "Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940)". The First Amendment Encyclopedia presented by the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940)". Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296 (1940).
This article incorporates public domain material from judicial opinions or other documents created by the federal judiciary of the United States.
- ^ "Episode 16 of the Constitutional podcast: 'The First Amendment' - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. January 30, 2018. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
