Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71
333 U.S. 203 · Decided March 8, 1948 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71 was decided on March 8, 1948 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black 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
- 333 U.S. 203 · 68 S. Ct. 461 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 649 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2451
- Docket number
- 90
- Decided
- March 8, 1948
- Argued
- December 8, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71, Champaign County, Illinois, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-047, docket 1947-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Zorach v. Clauson
- Board of Education of Central School District No. 1 v. Allen
- Lemon v. KurtzmanLaw held unconstitutional
- Tilton v. RichardsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Levitt v. Committee for Public Education & Religious LibertyLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Torcaso v. WatkinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Engel v. Vitale
- School District of Abington Township v. SchemppLaw held unconstitutional
- Chamberlin v. Dade County Board of Public InstructionLaw held unconstitutional
- Epperson v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cox v. United States
- Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Saia v. New YorkLaw 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