Article
Bowen v. Roy (1986)
Encyclopedia of the First Amendment
Document Type
Contribution to Book
Publication Date
1-1-2009
Disciplines
Abstract
In Bowen v. Roy, 476 U.S. 693 (1986), the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the federal government did not violate the free exercise clause of the First Amendment by assigning a Social Security number for welfare benefits.
Steven J. Roy, a Native American, did not want the federal government to use a Social Security number for his daughter to provide her with welfare benefits. According to Roy, the use of a Social Security number would prevent his daughter from "becoming a holy person," "rob [her] spirit," and violate the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.
Editor
John R. Vile, David L. Hudson Jr., & David Schultz
Publisher
Congressional Quarterly Press
ISBN
9780872893115
Citation Information
Hermann, J. R. (2009). Bowen v. Roy (1986). In J. R. Vile, D. L. Hudson Jr., & D. Schultz (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the first amendment (pp. 193-194). Congressional Quarterly Press.