450 U.S. 707 (1981) Cited 1,631 times 5 Legal Analyses
Holding that "it is not within the judicial function and judicial competence to inquire whether the petitioner or [another member of his faith] more correctly perceived the commands of their common faith," because "[c]ourts are not arbiters of scriptural interpretation"
426 U.S. 696 (1976) Cited 878 times 3 Legal Analyses
Holding that the principle articulated in Presbyterian Church "applies with equal force to church disputes," like the present one, "over church polity and church administration"
Holding that a private entity can be held liable under § 1983 for municipal liability only if it had a policy that was the direct cause or moving force behind the constitutional violations
Holding unconstitutional the teaching of transcendental meditation in a course that included a ceremony in which the students made offerings to a deity
Fed. R. Evid. 602 Cited 3,497 times 13 Legal Analyses
Stating that " witness may testify only if evidence is introduced sufficient to support a finding that the witness has personal knowledge of the matter"