Church+of+the+Lukuani+Babalu+Avenue+v.+City+of+Hialeah

Evan Thomas

Church of the Lukuani Babalu Avenue v. City of Hialeah
Chapter Relevance: The case deals with the free-exercise clause which keeps the government from targeting a specific religion, because limiting the death of animals in Hialeah would mean no hamburgers or rat traps.

Case Outline: The Church of Lukuani Babalu Ave. practiced the religion of Santeria which demanded animal sacrifice and consumption. The city council applied several ordinances to limit the church's ownership of animals hat would eventually be slaughtered. The church appealed the case on the grounds that the laws kept the church from freely practicing their religion.

Outcome: The court ruled in the church's favor, stating that the government could only get involved if it had a narrowly tailored and specific interest in the topic.

What narrowly tailored and specific interest would the government have if a church were to request human sacrifices?