Sherbert v. Verner
374 U.S. 398 · Decided June 17, 1963 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Sherbert v. Verner was decided on June 17, 1963 by a vote of 7–2. 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. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 374 U.S. 398 · 83 S. Ct. 1790 · 10 L. Ed. 2d 965 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 976
- Docket number
- 526
- Decided
- June 17, 1963
- Argued
- April 24, 1963
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Sherbert v. Verner et Al., Members of South Carolina Employment Security Commission, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-150, docket 1962-150-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- Cooper v. Pate
- Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Braunfeld v. Brown
- Solomon v. South Carolina
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
- Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Zorach v. Clauson
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- Trinity Lutheran Church v. ComerLaw held unconstitutional
- Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
- Espinoza v. Montana Department of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Carson v. MakinLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Arlan's Department Store of Louisville, Inc. v. Kentucky
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. ButtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan
- Edwards v. South Carolina
- Fields v. South Carolina
- Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee
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