Research Paper

you should be able to draw some conclusions about the current state of our
constitutional and religious history in the U.S. in the 21st century. Look at a specific
issue in contemporary culture from the vantage point of our constitutional history.
Assess where the United States is today in terms of our legal and religious history.
One of the most controversial areas of Supreme Court recent adjudication lies in its
decisions related to religion and politics. You will get to explore two important recent
cases regarding religion and politics in the specific area of marriage and marriage
ceremonies. These two recent significant cases are Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) and
Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018). Both cases
involve highly contentious issues that get at fundamental debates in contemporary
America. Analyze the Obergefell and Masterpiece cases in light of what you have
learned regarding America’s religious and constitutional heritage in this course. You
will have 2 major sections to your paper: Part I – Facts of the Cases For each case,
include the following areas: The Facts of the Case The Legal Question The Court’s
Decision The Court’s Rationale that supports its decision The Rationale of the
dissenting Opinions Part II – Your Informed Analysis of the Cases Based upon
Course Material Analyze what these decisions say about where the United States is
today in terms of its Constitutional and religious liberties history. Your discussion
must include, but is not limited to, the following lenses of analysis: These decisions
in light of America’s constitutional history These decisions in light of the Christian
foundations of America These decisions in light of specific Constitutional principles
These decisions in light of specific methods of Constitutional adjudication