Braunfeld v. Brown
366 U.S. 599 · Decided May 29, 1961 · 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
Braunfeld v. Brown was decided on May 29, 1961 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 366 U.S. 599 · 81 S. Ct. 1144 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 563 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1059
- Docket number
- 67
- Decided
- May 29, 1961
- Argued
- December 8, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Braunfeld et al. v. Brown, Commissioner of Police of Philadelphia, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-105, docket 1960-105-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
- Sherbert v. VernerLaw held unconstitutional
- Cooper v. Pate
- Solomon v. South Carolina
- Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- McGowan v. Maryland
- Two Guys From Harrison-Allentown, Inc. v. McGinley
- Anderson v. Alabama.
- Smith v. Bennett
- Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority
- Martin v. Walton
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- McPhaul v. United States
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Shelton v. TuckerLaw held unconstitutional
- Travis v. United States
- Times Film Corp. v. City of Chicago
- Wilkinson v. United States
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