http://www.oyez.org/cases/1851-1900/1866/ U.S. Supreme Court Cases, presented by The Oyez Project (www.oyez.org) en-us <p>Following the Civil War, Congress and Missouri adopted provisions that required persons in specified professional occupations to take an oath that they have never given aid to the rebellion and secession. Missouri convicted a priest who refused to take the oath. A former Confederate congressman asked the Supreme Court for permission to practice without taking the federal oath.</p> http://www.oyez.org/cases/1851-1900/1866/1866_0/ <p>In 1867, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts. Although President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Acts, Congress overrode the veto. In an attempt to delay or prevent Reconstruction, the state of Mississippi appealed directly to the Supreme Court. Mississippi asked the Court for an injunction preventing the President from enforcing the Acts on the ground that they were unconstitutional.</p> http://www.oyez.org/cases/1851-1900/1866/1866_2/