“The story of this epic court battle will fascinate those interested in the legal system as well as those intrigued by Albany politics . . . a readable look at the nitty-gritty of New York’s political machine.” —Kirkus

“This is a rare and valuable history of one of the most important First Amendment decisions in recent history. Louis Grumet’s engaging narrative takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the commitment, the tensions, the strategizing, and the judicial decision making that led to Supreme Court victory.” —Tony Mauro, Supreme Court correspondent for the National Law Journal

“The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel highlights the First Amendment’s two, mutually reinforcing, religion clauses—the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause—and demonstrates the importance of both preserving religious liberty as well as freedom of conscience and equality for all of us, believers and non-believers alike. Lou Grumet exhibited great courage when he stood up for principle by persistently fighting against the most powerful politicians in New York State and for the First Amendment, all the way to the US Supreme Court. This book tells a fascinating story about why this struggle was so important for not only all freedom-loving individuals, but also our public school system, which plays such a key role in our democracy." —Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law at New York Law School and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union

“The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel is a fascinating insider account of a small religious group—Satmar Hasidic Jews—that had established a self-governed village in upstate New York, violated the principle of church/state separation, and ended up losing a major case at the United States Supreme Court. Grumet and Caher are sensitive to the anti-Semitism that drove this group to insulate itself, but acutely aware of the danger to our Constitutional system their tactics generated—sometimes with the help of powerful political forces that should have known better." —Barry Lynn, executive director, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State

"Two hundred years after Jefferson and Madison engaged in an extraordinary debate over freedom OF religion vs. freedom FROM religion, The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel demonstrates how a small and insular religious group can grasp political power and perpetrate an outrageous end-run around the United States Constitution. This story - a blend of politics, religion, cultural clashes and constitutional tension - is an object lesson in the Establishment Clause at work.” —Eliot Spitzer, former attorney general and governor of New York State