McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky
545 U.S. 844 · Decided June 27, 2005 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky was decided on June 27, 2005 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 545 U.S. 844 · 125 S. Ct. 2722 · 162 L. Ed. 2d 729 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 5211
- Docket number
- 03-1693
- Decided
- June 27, 2005
- Argued
- March 2, 2005
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
McCreary County, Kentucky, et al. v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-078, docket 2004-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
- Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- Ken L. Salazar v. Frank Buono
- Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe
- Town of Greece v. Galloway
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Kathleen M. Winn
- 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
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- City of San Diego v. John Roe
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Michael Clingman v. Andrea L. Beaver
- Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson
- Ulysses Tory v. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
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