Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This paper will investigate the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Zivotofsky v. Kerry (2015). This case clarified the president’s role setting U.S. foreign policy toward Israel based on its interpretation of Article II of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Zivotofsky v. Kerry further established that the president’s unitary powers could be used to prioritize and elevate Jerusalem for both religious and political purposes. This paper will analyze the religious and political issues central to Zivotovsky v. Kerry and how President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is better understood through the U.S. Supreme Court’s reasoning in that case.