Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale v. Kathleen S. McCreary
471 U.S. 83 · Decided March 27, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale v. Kathleen S. McCreary was decided on March 27, 1985 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 471 U.S. 83 · 105 S. Ct. 1859 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 63 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 194
- Docket number
- 84-277
- Decided
- March 27, 1985
- Argued
- February 20, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale, et al. v. Kathleen S. McCreary et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-070, docket 1984-070-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Bender v. Williamsport Area School District
- Lynch v. Donnelly
- Marsh v. Chambers
- Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Amos
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Wayte v. United States
- Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. National Gay Task ForceLaw held unconstitutional
- Wallace v. JaffreeLaw held unconstitutional
- Jensen v. QuaringLaw held unconstitutional
- McDonald v. Smith
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