California v. Grace Brethren Church
457 U.S. 393 · Decided June 18, 1982 · 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
California v. Grace Brethren Church was decided on June 18, 1982 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 457 U.S. 393 · 102 S. Ct. 2498 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 93 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 130
- Docket number
- 81-31
- Decided
- June 18, 1982
- Argued
- March 30, 1982
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1341
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
California et al. v. Grace Brethren Church et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-127, docket 1981-127-01.
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Other cases on “Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals”
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- County of Imperial v. Munoz
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Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1341
- Moe v. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
- Arkansas v. Farm Credit Services of Central Arkansas
- J. Elliott Hibbs v. Kathleen M. Winn
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Leeke v. Timmerman
- Fair Assessment in Real Estate Association, Inc. v. McNary
- Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Princeton University v. Schmid
- Tully v. Mobil Oil Corp.
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