Neutral laws of general applicability do not violate the Free Exercise Clause. Decided April 17, 1990 (argued November 6, 1989). Opinion of the Court: Antonin Scalia → go there Dissenting: Blackmun. Applied: the First Amendment → go there Applied: the Fourteenth Amendment → go there Topic: Freedom of religion. Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, where the Court held that the state could deny unemployment benefits to a person fired for violating a state prohibition on the use of peyote even though the use of the drug was part of a religious ritual. Although states have the power to accommodate otherwise illegal acts performed in pursuit of religious beliefs, they are not required to do so. Wiki link