American Legion v. American Humanist Association
139 S. Ct. 2067 · Decided June 20, 2019 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
American Legion v. American Humanist Association was decided on June 20, 2019 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2018
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 17-1717
Case details
- Citations
- 139 S. Ct. 2067 · 204 L. Ed. 2d 452 · 2019 U.S. LEXIS 4182
- Docket number
- 17-1717
- Decided
- June 20, 2019
- Argued
- February 27, 2019
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
American Legion v. American Humanist Association
SCDB identifiers: case 2018-048, docket 2018-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Kennedy v. Bremerton School DistrictAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Town of Greece v. Galloway
- Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission
- Ken L. Salazar v. Frank Buono
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of KentuckyLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Kathleen M. Winn
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Nieves v. Bartlett
- Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck
- Iancu v. BrunettiLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error