Engel v. Vitale
370 U.S. 421 · Decided June 25, 1962 · 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
Engel v. Vitale was decided on June 25, 1962 by a vote of 6–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black 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
- 370 U.S. 421 · 82 S. Ct. 1261 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 601 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 847
- Docket number
- 468
- Decided
- June 25, 1962
- Argued
- April 3, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–1
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Engel et al. v. Vitale et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-105, docket 1961-105-01.
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- Torcaso v. WatkinsLaw held unconstitutional
- McGowan v. Maryland
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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Board of Education of Central School District No. 1 v. Allen
- Lemon v. KurtzmanLaw held unconstitutional
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
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- Hunt v. McNair
- Sloan v. LemonLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Killian v. United States
- Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Nostrand v. Little
- Russell v. United States
- Grumman v. United States
- Wood v. Georgia
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