Founding Church of Scientology v. United States
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
409 F.2d 1146 (1969)
- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
The Founding Church of Scientology (defendant) used electronic devices as part of its beliefs to purge its adherents of negative memories. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized the devices and accompanying literature, claiming that the devices were mislabeled and subject to condemnation under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. After a jury trial, the court ruled in favor of the FDA. The church appealed, arguing that much of the literature relied on by the FDA to establish the devices’ labeling as false or misleading was religious and that the condemnation interfered with the church’s free exercise of religion. The church admitted that the devices were of no use in the diagnosis or treatment of disease but claimed the devices aided adherents’ spirits.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Wright, J.)
Dissent (McGowan, J.)
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