Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Regan
444 U.S. 646 · Decided February 20, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Regan was decided on February 20, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 646 · 100 S. Ct. 840 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 94 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 79
- Docket number
- 78-1369
- Decided
- February 20, 1980
- Argued
- November 27, 1979
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty et al. v. Regan, Comptroller of New York, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-038, docket 1979-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- New York v. Cathedral AcademyLaw held unconstitutional
- Wolman v. WalterLaw held unconstitutional
- Mueller v. Allen
- Roemer v. Board of Public Works of Maryland
- Meek v. PittengerLaw held unconstitutional
- Wallace v. JaffreeLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Stone v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
- Widmar v. Vincent
- Larson v. ValenteLaw held unconstitutional
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Marsh v. Chambers
- Lynch v. Donnelly
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Brown v. Glines
- Secretary of the Navy v. Huff
- Snepp v. United States
- Village of Schaumburg v. Citizens for a Better EnvironmentLaw held unconstitutional
- Vance v. Universal Amusement Co., Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Branti v. Finkel
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