There’s no more American holiday than Thanksgiving. (Well, except maybe Independence Day. And doesn’t Canada have a Thanksgiving, too?) A day filled with overeating, over-drinking, and then football? Sign me up!

Thanksgiving has popped up over the years at the U.S. Supreme Court as well, though it didn’t involve Chief Justice Rehnquist falling asleep on the couch watching the Stanford game. It’s mostly involved the “War on Christmas.”

Utah Pie Co. (mmm… pie) sued three other frozen pie companies for conspiracy for trying to drive Utah Pie Co. out of business by agreeing to undersell it in markets where Utah Pie Co. sold its frozen pies. Reversing the court of appeals, the Court found that there was enough evidence for the jury to find illegal price discrimination.

2. Lynch v. Donnelly (1984).

This case was Patient Zero in the “War on Christmas.” The Court concluded that a town-sponsored Nativity scene didn’t violate the Lemon test because it had a secular purpose and was included in a scene with other, secular Christmas representations. As part of Chief Justice Burger’s reasoning, he noted that Thanksgiving – now a secular holiday – began as a religious one:

3. Wallace v. Jaffree (1985).

Again with the religion! This time, the Supreme Court said it wasn’t cool for Alabama teachers to set aside a minute at the beginning of each day for meditation or silent prayer. Dissenting, Justice Rehnquist again pointed out how even Thomas Jefferson considered Thanksgiving a religious event:

4. McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky (2005).

In this case where the Court said a county court couldn’t display the Ten Commandments in a court room, Justice Souter pushed back against those previous claims that Washington and Jefferson thought Thanksgiving, now a secular holiday, had a religious purpose that should be made public:

5. Pilgrim’s Pride v. Agerton (Fifth Circuit, 2013; Cert. Denied, 2014).

In February, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from an antitrust claim that chicken grower Pilgrim’s Pride slowed down production in an attempt to manipulate chicken prices. The Fifth Circuit had reversed a $25 million judgment against Pilgrim’s Pride, finding the plaintiffs hadn’t demonstrated an intent to fix prices.

Related Resources:

  • 6th Cir. Upholds Gay Marriage Bans: Your Move, SCOTUS (FindLaw’s U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
  • SCOTUS Grants Cert. to Obamacare Subsidies Case From 4th Cir. (FindLaw’s U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
  • Movember? You’ll Never Beat These SCOTUS Facial Hair Legends (FindLaw’s U.S. Supreme Court Blog)

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Civil Rights

Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court

Criminal

Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records

Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules