School District of Abington Township v. Schempp
374 U.S. 203 · Decided June 17, 1963 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
School District of Abington Township v. Schempp was decided on June 17, 1963 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 374 U.S. 203 · 83 S. Ct. 1560 · 10 L. Ed. 2d 844 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2611
- Docket number
- 142
- Decided
- June 17, 1963
- Argued
- February 27, 1963
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania, et al. v. Schempp et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-148, docket 1962-148-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Arlan's Department Store of Louisville, Inc. v. Kentucky
- Chamberlin v. Dade County Board of Public InstructionLaw held unconstitutional
- Engel v. Vitale
- Torcaso v. WatkinsLaw held unconstitutional
- McGowan v. Maryland
- Two Guys From Harrison-Allentown, Inc. v. McGinley
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Board of Education of Central School District No. 1 v. Allen
- Lemon v. KurtzmanLaw held unconstitutional
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Levitt v. Committee for Public Education & Religious LibertyLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunt v. McNair
- Sloan v. LemonLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Arlan's Department Store of Louisville, Inc. v. Kentucky
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. ButtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan
- Edwards v. South Carolina
- Fields v. South Carolina
- Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee
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