Religious Freedom Restoration Act: An Overview of Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal

Publication Date: March 2006

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Culture and religion

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Abstract:

On February 21, 2006, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal (UDV), a case addressing the use of an hallucinogenic tea in the context of religious ceremonies conducted by a religious sect in New Mexico. In its decision, the Court determined that under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the federal government could not prohibit the sect's use of the tea absent a compelling government interest in doing so, and that the federal government had failed to establish a compelling interest. This report provides an overview of RFRA and the O Centro Espirita case. It will be updated as events warrant.