5 canonical passages across 3 cases, quoted by 51 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side — they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União Do Vegetal.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União Do Vegetal Anchor | green | “scrutinize the asserted harm of granting specific exemptions to particular religious claimants.” | 15 |
| 2 | Bowen v. Roy | green | “the free exercise clause simply cannot be understood to require the government to conduct its own internal affairs in ways that comport with the religious beliefs of particular citizens.” | 11 |
| 3 | Bowen v. Roy | green | “the free exercise clause affords an individual protection from certain forms of governmental compulsion; it does not afford an individual a right to dictate the conduct of the government's internal procedures.” | 9 |
| 4 | Bowen v. Roy | green | “roy may no more prevail on his religious objection to the government's use of a social security number for his daughter than he could on a sincere religious objection to the size or color of the government's filing cabinets.” | 8 |
| 5 | Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Assn. | green | “it is true that this court has repeatedly held that indirect coercion or penalties on the free exercise of religion, not just outright prohibitions, are subject to scrutiny under the first amendment.” | 8 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment — for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.