Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc.
366 U.S. 617 · Decided May 29, 1961 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc. was decided on May 29, 1961 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 366 U.S. 617 · 81 S. Ct. 1122 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 536 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1060
- Docket number
- 11
- Decided
- May 29, 1961
- Argued
- December 7, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
Full case caption
Gallagher, Chief of Police of Springfield, Massachusetts, et al. v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-103, docket 1960-103-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- Braunfeld v. Brown
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
- Sherbert v. VernerLaw held unconstitutional
- Cooper v. Pate
- Solomon v. South Carolina
- Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- McGowan v. Maryland
- Two Guys From Harrison-Allentown, Inc. v. McGinley
- Anderson v. Alabama.
- Smith v. Bennett
- Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority
- Martin v. Walton
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- McPhaul v. United States
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Shelton v. TuckerLaw held unconstitutional
- Travis v. United States
- Times Film Corp. v. City of Chicago
- Wilkinson v. United States
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