Jay F. Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.
551 U.S. 587 · Decided June 25, 2007 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Jay F. Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. was decided on June 25, 2007 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, taxpayer suits” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 551 U.S. 587 · 127 S. Ct. 2553 · 168 L. Ed. 2d 424 · 2007 U.S. LEXIS 8512
- Docket number
- 06-157
- Decided
- June 25, 2007
- Argued
- February 28, 2007
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, taxpayer suits
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Jay F. Hein, Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, et al. v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2006-071, docket 2006-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, taxpayer suits”
- Daimlerchrysler Corporation v. Charlotte Cuno
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- United States v. Richardson
- Schlesinger v. Reservists Committee to Stop the War
- Flast v. Cohen
- Doremus v. Board of Education of the Borough of Hawthorne
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency
- Keith Lance v. Mike Coffman
- Medimmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc.
- Sprint Communs. Co., L.P. v. Apcc Servs.
- Priscilla Summers v. Earth Island Institute
- Anita Alvarez v. Chermane Smith
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Helen Purcell v. Maria M. Gonzalez
- Reymundo Toledo-Flores v. United States
- BP America Production Company v. Rejane Burton
- Medimmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc.
- Pat Osborn v. Barry Haley
- Sinochem International Co., Ltd. v. Malaysia International Shipping Corporation
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