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Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

565 U.S. 171 · Decided January 11, 2012 · 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

Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was decided on January 11, 2012 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
565 U.S. 171 · 132 S. Ct. 694 · 181 L. Ed. 2d 650 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 578
Docket number
10-553
Decided
January 11, 2012
Argued
October 5, 2011
Court era
Roberts Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
John G. Roberts Jr.
Opinion assigned by
John G. Roberts Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
An act of Congress
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Antonin ScaliaMajority
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajority
Justice Clarence ThomasConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgMajority
Justice Stephen G. BreyerMajority
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.MajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.ConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Sonia SotomayorMajority
Justice Elena KaganConcurrence

Full case caption

Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 2011-011, docket 2011-011-01.

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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