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Law and Religion: Cases and Materials

5th Edition
Frank S. Ravitch | Larry Catá Backer
ISBN: 9798317701130
Subject: Religion And Law
Format: Print - Hardbound
Copyright: 2026 | Status: Accepting Pre-Orders

In the five years since the publication of the Fourth Edition the Supreme Court has dramatically changed the law under the Establishment Clause and under the Free Exercise Clause. The Fifth Edition is incredibly up to date, including all major cases decided through Summer 2026, including Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, Carson v. Makin, Mahmoud v. Taylor, and some of the post-Kennedy lower court cases that have tried to make sense of the baffling decision in Kennedy. As with prior editions the Fifth Edition explores the rich field of law and religion in an accessible and balanced way. It addresses the continuing debate over the meaning of the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment and the evolution of church/state Law. The Fifth Edition also updates key issues and developments in religious law systems, in the constitutional approaches to the protection of religious liberties outside the United States, and within the developing jurisprudence of regional and international human rights systems. The Fifth edition includes important recent developments from the Global South and the further refinement of European approaches to balancing religious obligations and state values, both in ways that may be distinguished from U.S. jurisprudence.


Imprint: West Academic Publishing
Series: American Casebook Series
Publication Date: 08/20/2026

Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University College of Law

Larry Catá Backer, Penn State Dickinson-University Park

CasebookPlus™

This title is available in our CasebookPlus format. CasebookPlus provides support beyond your classroom lectures and materials by offering additional digital resources to you and your students. Anchored by faculty-authored formative self-assessments keyed to our most popular casebooks, CasebookPlus allows students to test their understanding of core concepts as they are learning them in class — on their own, outside of the classroom, with no extra work on your part. CasebookPlus combines three important elements:

  • A new print or digital casebook
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Multiple-choice self-assessment questions, including:
  • Chapter questions keyed to the casebook
  • Black Letter Law questions (available in select subjects)
  • Subject area review questions for end of semester use
Essay and short answer questions with sample answers and expert commentary, in 1L and select upper-level subjects

Leading digital study aids, an outline starter, and audio lectures in select subjects

Students can still utilize CasebookPlus digital resources if they've purchased a used book or are renting their text by purchasing the Learning Library at westacademic.com.

With CasebookPlus, you can customize your students' learning experience and monitor their performance. The quiz editor allows you to create your own custom quiz set, suppress specific quiz questions or quiz sets, and time-release quiz questions. Additionally, the flexible, customized reporting capability helps you evaluate your students' understanding of the material and can also help your school demonstrate compliance with the new ABA Assessment and Learning Outcomes standards.

The new edition adds:

  • Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022)
  • Several of the post-Kennedy lower court decisions that interpret and apply the Kennedy decision. These cases were decided between 2023-2025.
  • Carson v. Makin (2022)
  • Mahmoud v. Taylor (2025)
  • References to, and changes based on, the above cases are included throughout the book.
The book also integrates where appropriate:
  • 303 Creative v. Elenis (2023)
  • Chiles v. Salazar (2026)

Learn more about this series.