Scope: Federal
Branch: Judicial
Severity: Green
Date occurred: September 14, 2026
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a 156-page decision in Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland, Washington v. Kuderer, an appeal docketed as No. 23-35560 challenging the constitutionality of a Washington state statute. The case was categorized as Constitutionality of State Statutes and drew amicus participation from the ACLU of Washington, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Christian Legal Society, among others.
Constitutional basis: Article III court exercising ordinary judicial review of a state statute's constitutionality under the First Amendment, a long-settled judicial function.