Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
509 U.S. 1 · Decided June 18, 1993 · 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
Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District was decided on June 18, 1993 by a vote of 5–4. 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
- 509 U.S. 1 · 113 S. Ct. 2462 · 125 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 4211
- Docket number
- 92-94
- Decided
- June 18, 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
- 5–4
- 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 (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Larry Zobrest, et Ux., et al. v. Catalina Foothills School District
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-098, docket 1992-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Education of the Westside Community Schools, Etc. v. Bridget C. Mergens
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Edwards v. AguillardLaw held unconstitutional
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Robert E. Lee v. Daniel Weisman Etc.Law held unconstitutional
- Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board v. Vincent J. Pinette
- Ronald W. Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
- County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union
- Texas Monthly, Inc. v. BullockLaw held unconstitutional
- Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Amos
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
- Lamb's Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
- Wisconsin v. Todd Mitchell
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. and Ernesto Pichardo v. City of HialeahLaw held unconstitutional
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