The Santeria religion of Cuba--the Way of the Saints--mixes West African Yoruba culture with Catholicism. Similar
to Haitian voodoo, Santeria has long practiced animal sacrifice in certain rites. But when Cuban immigrants brought
those rituals to Florida, local authorities were suddenly confronted with a controversial situation that pitted
the regulation of public health and morality against religious freedom.After Ernesto Pichardo established a Santeria
church in Hialeah in the 1980s, the city of Hialeah responded by passing ordinances banning ritual animal sacrifice.
Although on the surface those ordinances seemed general in intent, they were clearly aimed at Pichardo's church.
When Pichardo subsequently sued the city, a federal court ruled in the latter's favor, in effect privileging the
regulation of public health and morality over the church's free exercise of its religion. The U.S. Supreme Court
heard Pichardo's appeal in 1993 and unanimously decided that the city had overstepped its bounds in targeting this
particular religious group; however, the court was sharply divided regarding the basis of its decision. Three concurring
opinions registered distinctly different views of the First Amendment, the limits of government regulation, and
the religious freedom of minorities. In the end, the nine justices collectively concluded that freedom of religious
belief was absolute while the freedom to practice the tenets of any faith were subject to non-discriminatory local
regulations. David O'Brien, one of America's foremost scholars of the Court, now illuminates this controversy and
its significance for law, government, and religion in America. His lively account takes us behind the scenes at
every stage of the litigation to reveal a riveting case with more twists and turns than a classic whodunit. Ranging
with equal ease from primitive magic to municipal politics and to the most arcane points of constitutional law,
O'Brien weaves a compelling and instructive tale with a fascinating array of politicians, lawyers, jurists, civil
libertarians, and animal rights advocates. Offering sharp insights into the key issues and personalities, he highlights
cultural clashes large and small, while maintaining a balance for both the needs of government and the religious
rights of individuals. This book is part of the Landmark Law Cases and American Society series.