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Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America and Canada v. Milivojevich

426 U.S. 696 · Decided June 21, 1976 · 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

Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America and Canada v. Milivojevich was decided on June 21, 1976 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. 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
426 U.S. 696 · 96 S. Ct. 2372 · 49 L. Ed. 2d 151 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 69
Docket number
75-292
Decided
June 21, 1976
Argued
March 22, 1976
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
7–2
Majority opinion
William J. Brennan Jr.
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
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

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.MajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerSpecial concurrence
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistDissentWrote an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensDissent

Full case caption

Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America and Canada et al. v. Milivojevich et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1975-139, docket 1975-139-01.

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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