Jones v. Wolf
443 U.S. 595 · Decided July 2, 1979 · 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
Jones v. Wolf was decided on July 2, 1979 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 443 U.S. 595 · 99 S. Ct. 3020 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 775 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- 78-91
- Decided
- July 2, 1979
- Argued
- January 16, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Jones et al. v. Wolf et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-157, docket 1978-157-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- McDaniel v. PatyLaw held unconstitutional
- Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security DivisionLaw held unconstitutional
- Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.
- Wooley v. Maynard et Ux.Law held unconstitutional
- United States v. Lee
- Parker Seal Co. v. Cummins
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- Zorach v. Clauson
- Trinity Lutheran Church v. ComerLaw held unconstitutional
- Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
- Espinoza v. Montana Department of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Carson v. MakinLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District
- Friedman v. Rogers
- Herbert v. Lando
- Smith v. Arkansas State Highway Employees
- Marchioro v. Chaney
- Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co.Law 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