Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise Felton
521 U.S. 203 · Decided June 23, 1997 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise Felton was decided on June 23, 1997 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)” in the First Amendment area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 521 U.S. 203 · 117 S. Ct. 1997 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 391 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 4000
- Docket number
- 96-552
- Decided
- June 23, 1997
- Argued
- April 15, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- 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
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Rachel Agostini, et al. v. Betty-Louise Felton et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-080, docket 1996-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- Board of Education of the Westside Community Schools, Etc. v. Bridget C. Mergens
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board v. Vincent J. Pinette
- Ronald W. Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
- Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe
- Robert E. Lee v. Daniel Weisman Etc.Law held unconstitutional
- County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union
- Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Dan Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliott, Inc.
- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw 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