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Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church

393 U.S. 440 · Decided January 27, 1969 · 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

Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church was decided on January 27, 1969 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
393 U.S. 440 · 89 S. Ct. 601 · 21 L. Ed. 2d 658 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 2702
Docket number
71
Decided
January 27, 1969
Argued
October 9, 1968
Court era
Warren Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
William J. Brennan Jr.
Opinion assigned by
Earl Warren
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

Full case caption

Presbyterian Church in the United States et al. v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1968-039, docket 1968-039-01.

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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