Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah

delivered the opinion of the Court, except as to Part II-A-2.†

The principle that government may not enact laws that suppress religious belief or practice is so well understood that few violations are recorded in our opinions. Cf. McDaniel v. Paty, 435 U. S. 618 (1978); Fowler v. Rhode Island, 345 U. S. 67 (1953). Concerned that this fundamental nonperseeution principle of the First Amendment was implicated here, however, we granted certiorari. 503 U. S. 935 (1992).

*524Our review confirms that the laws in question were enacted by officials who did not understand, failed to perceive, or chose to…