Sloan v. Lemon
413 U.S. 825 · Decided June 25, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Sloan v. Lemon was decided on June 25, 1973 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)” 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
- 413 U.S. 825 · 93 S. Ct. 2982 · 37 L. Ed. 2d 939 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 37
- Docket number
- 72-459
- Decided
- June 25, 1973
- Argued
- April 16, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Sloan, Treasurer of Pennsylvania, et al. v. Lemon et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-183, docket 1972-183-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Levitt v. Committee for Public Education & Religious LibertyLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunt v. McNair
- Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. NyquistLaw held unconstitutional
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Wheeler v. Barrera
- Meek v. PittengerLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York
- Epperson v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Stone v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
- Widmar v. Vincent
- Larson v. ValenteLaw held unconstitutional
- Chamberlin v. Dade County Board of Public InstructionLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- California v. Larue
- Papish v. Board of Curators of the University of Missouri
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee
- Miller v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
- Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton
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