The Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye leased land in Hialeah, Florida and planned to establish a church, school, and cultural center there. They would bring their practice of Santeria, which included the ritual sacrifice of animals, into the area.
Animal sacrifice is practiced at birth, marriage, and death rites.
It is also used for curing the sick and other annual ceremonies. As a response to this, the city of Hialeah passed several ordinances prohibiting animal sacrifice. The Church claimed that this violated their First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religion. The Court unanimously invalidated the city ordinances that outlawed animal sacrifices. In order to avoid having to meet the compelling interest requirement, a law must be both neutral and generally applicable.