Widmar v. Vincent
454 U.S. 263 · Decided December 8, 1981 · 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
Widmar v. Vincent was decided on December 8, 1981 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 454 U.S. 263 · 102 S. Ct. 269 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 440 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 134
- Docket number
- 80-689
- Decided
- December 8, 1981
- Argued
- October 6, 1981
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Widmar et al. v. Vincent et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-014, docket 1981-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Larson v. ValenteLaw held unconstitutional
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Stone v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
- Marsh v. Chambers
- Lynch v. Donnelly
- Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale v. Kathleen S. McCreary
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Mueller v. Allen
- Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Regan
- Wallace v. JaffreeLaw held unconstitutional
- School District of the City of Grand Rapids v. Ball
- Aguilar v. FeltonLaw held unconstitutional
- New York v. Cathedral AcademyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- California ex Rel. Cooper v. Mitchell Brothers' Santa Ana Theater
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Lee
- Village of Hoffman Estates v. the Flipside
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
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