Employment Division v. Smith

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, where the Court held that the state could deny unemployment benefits to a person fired for violating a state prohibition on the use of peyote even though the use of the drug was part of a religious ritual. Although states have the power to accommodate otherwise illegal acts performed in pursuit of religious beliefs, they are not required to do so.

In 1993, in response to the ruling, Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which aimed to apply strict scrutiny to laws restricting religious freedom, reinstating the Sherbert Test.