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Wooley v. Maynard et Ux.

430 U.S. 705 · Decided April 20, 1977 · 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

Wooley v. Maynard et Ux. was decided on April 20, 1977 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise 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
430 U.S. 705 · 97 S. Ct. 1428 · 51 L. Ed. 2d 752 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 75
Docket number
75-1453
Decided
April 20, 1977
Argued
November 29, 1976
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
6–3
Majority opinion
Warren E. Burger
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (free exercise 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

Full case caption

Wooley, Chief of Police of Lebanon, et al. v. Maynard et Ux.

SCDB identifiers: case 1976-088, docket 1976-088-01.

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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