Religion vs. Justice

Throughout time many people wonder if religious values have played a part in the decisions of Supreme Court Justices. As time has passed on many Supreme Court Justices have come and gone which means that religious values throughout the Supreme Court have changed. Certain instances where the Supreme Court has made decisions based on religious values were when topics about the provision of contraception was discussed. Two Court Cases in particular where religious values made an impact on Supreme Court decisions were Town of Greece v. Galloway and Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.

In the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Court ruled that public prayer was appropriate before town hall meetings. The Supreme Court contained several devout Catholics on the bench when this court decision was made which caused the public to believe that the Court decision was made based on religious views. Another recent instance where religious values has made an appearance in the Supreme Court Cases was in the decision of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. In this court case the Court ruled that small-business owners didn’t have to provide contraception coverage to employees if it meant that it would conflict with their religious beliefs. Many devoted Catholics do not believe in the use of contraceptives. The public believes that since there was many practicing Catholics on the Supreme Court bench when this decision was made, this could have played a role in their decision. After studying the use of the bible in Supreme Court decisions during class, I found this article to be very interesting. It is ok that someone’s religious views can directly impact a Supreme Court decision or is this morally wrong? Since Freedom of Religion or Freedom from Religion is one of our First Amendment Rights I believe that religious values should not play a factor in Supreme Court decisions.