Board of Education of the Westside Community Schools, Etc. v. Bridget C. Mergens
496 U.S. 226 · Decided June 4, 1990 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Board of Education of the Westside Community Schools, Etc. v. Bridget C. Mergens was decided on June 4, 1990 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 496 U.S. 226 · 110 S. Ct. 2356 · 110 L. Ed. 2d 191 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 2880
- Docket number
- 88-1597
- Decided
- June 4, 1990
- Argued
- January 9, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 20 U.S.C. § 4071
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Board of Education of the Westside Community Schools, Etc., et al. v. Bridget C. Mergens, by and Through Her Next Friend, Daniel N. Mergens, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-101, docket 1989-101-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Edwards v. AguillardLaw held unconstitutional
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind
- School District of the City of Grand Rapids v. Ball
- Aguilar v. FeltonLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- University of Pennsylvania v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Fw/pbs, Inc. v. City of DallasLaw held unconstitutional
- Jimmy Swaggart Ministries v. Board of Equalization of California
- Federal Trade Commission v. Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association
- Butterworth v. SmithLaw held unconstitutional
- Austin v. Michigan State Chamber of Commerce
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