SHERBERT v. VERNER

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Case Basics
Docket No. 
526
Appellee 
Verner
Appellant 
Sherbert
Decided By 
Warren Court (1962-1965)
Opinion 
374 U.S. 398 (1963)
Argued 
Wednesday, April 24, 1963
Decided 
Monday, June 17, 1963
Advocates
Daniel R. McLeod
(Argued the cause for the appellees)
William D. Donnelly
(Argued the cause for the appellant)
Tags
Term:
Location: Beaumont Mills
Facts of the Case 

Adeil Sherbert, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was fired from her job after she refused to work on Saturday, the Sabbath Day of her faith. The South Carolina Employment Security Commission denied her benefits, finding unacceptable her religious justification for refusing Saturday work.

Question 

Did the denial of unemployment compensation violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments?

Conclusion 
Decision: 7 votes for Sherbert, 2 vote(s) against
Legal provision: Free Exercise of Religion

Yes. The Court held that the state's eligibility restrictions for unemployment compensation imposed a significant burden on Sherbert's ability to freely exercise her faith. Furthermore, there was no compelling state interest which justified such a substantial burden on this basic First Amendment right.

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SHERBERT v. VERNER. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 09 February 2012. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1962/1962_526/>.
SHERBERT v. VERNER, The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1962/1962_526/ (last visited February 9, 2012).
"SHERBERT v. VERNER," The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, accessed February 9, 2012, http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1962/1962_526/.