Lamb's Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School District
508 U.S. 384 · Decided June 7, 1993 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Lamb's Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School District was decided on June 7, 1993 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White 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 a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 508 U.S. 384 · 113 S. Ct. 2141 · 124 L. Ed. 2d 352 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 4019
- Docket number
- 91-2024
- Decided
- June 7, 1993
- Argued
- February 24, 1993
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Lamb's Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School District et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-086, docket 1992-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- 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
- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
- Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Employment Division v. Smith
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Wisconsin v. Todd Mitchell
- El Vocero de Puerto Rico v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Fred H. Edenfield v. Scott FaneLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Walter Lee
- Walter Lee v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Fred H. Edenfield v. Scott FaneLaw held unconstitutional
- El Vocero de Puerto Rico v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Wisconsin v. Todd Mitchell
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. and Ernesto Pichardo v. City of HialeahLaw held unconstitutional
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
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