Quotes About Least restrictive means

Third, the Court has never applied the "least restrictive means" test in a First Amendment free exercise case. RFRA and its progeny do not restore anything, but rather concoct a new, extreme standard (the burden of showing a compelling interest and the least restrictive means) against the government when it defends neutral, generally applicable laws.

Under the RFRA of 1993, a religious believer could ignore every law in the country unless it served a "compelling interest," which is a state interest of surpassing importance, and the law served that end in the "least restrictive" way for this one religious believer. In layman's terms, believers could build a moat around their particular religious beliefs that would deny access to the law.