City of Boerne v. Flores - Significance, Court Limits Scope Of Congressional Power, Impact, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Further Readings

City of Boerne v. Flores - Significance

The Court's decision placed distinct limits on the power of Congress to regulate areas traditionally subject to state, not federal, regulation. The decision also limited the power of Congress to pass statutes overturning Supreme Court interpretations of constitutional provisions. The First Amendment to the Constitution provides, in part, that "Congress shall make no law . . . prohibiting the free …

City of Boerne v. Flores - Further Readings

City of Boerne v. Flores - Court Limits Scope Of Congressional Power

The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals, finding the RFRA unconstitutional. Congress passed the RFRA pursuant to its powers under the Fourteenth Amendment. Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits a state from denying a person of due process of law and of the equal protection of the laws. Section 5 gives Congress the power to "enforce, by appropriate legislation, the…

City of Boerne v. Flores - Impact

The decision constituted the first significant restriction of congressional power to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment since the late 1800s. Indeed, the Court's decision was a marked contrast from the civil rights cases decided in the 1960s, which generally held that Congress' power under the Fourteenth Amendment was extremely broad. Even more significant, however, the Court's reliance on principle…

City of Boerne v. Flores - Religious Freedom Restoration Act