Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
540 U.S. 712 · Decided February 25, 2004 · 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
Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey was decided on February 25, 2004 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 540 U.S. 712 · 124 S. Ct. 1307 · 158 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 1626
- Docket number
- 02-1315
- Decided
- February 25, 2004
- Argued
- December 2, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Gary Locke, Governor of Washington, et al. v. Joshua Davey
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-035, docket 2003-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
- Trinity Lutheran Church v. ComerLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California v. Leo P. Martinez
- Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. and Ernesto Pichardo v. City of HialeahLaw held unconstitutional
- Employment Division v. Smith
- Jimmy Swaggart Ministries v. Board of Equalization of California
- Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
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