Diffenderfer v. Central Baptist Church of Miami
404 U.S. 412 · Decided January 10, 1972 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Diffenderfer v. Central Baptist Church of Miami was decided on January 10, 1972 by a vote of 6–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Mootness” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 412 · 92 S. Ct. 574 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 567 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 102
- Docket number
- 70-47
- Decided
- January 10, 1972
- Argued
- December 6, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Mootness
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Diffenderfer et al. v. Central Baptist Church of Miami, Florida, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-035, docket 1971-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Mootness”
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Medical Committee for Human Rights
- Bradley v. United States
- North Carolina v. Rice
- Aikens v. California
- Durham v. United States
- Johnson v. New York State Education Department
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Hicks v. Pleasure House, Inc.
- Slayton v. Smith
- North Carolina v. Rice
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Medical Committee for Human Rights
- Board of Regents of the University of Texas System v. New Left Education Project
- United States v. Christian Echoes National Ministry, Inc.
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