Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry
545 U.S. 677 · Decided June 27, 2005 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry was decided on June 27, 2005 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 545 U.S. 677 · 125 S. Ct. 2854 · 162 L. Ed. 2d 607 · 2005 U.S. LEXIS 5215
- Docket number
- 03-1500
- Decided
- June 27, 2005
- Argued
- March 2, 2005
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Establishment of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thomas Van Orden v. Rick Perry, in His Official Capacity as Governor of Texas and Chairman, State Preservation Board, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-075, docket 2004-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of KentuckyLaw held unconstitutional
- Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson
- Good News Club v. Milford Central School
- Ken L. Salazar v. Frank Buono
- Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe
- Town of Greece v. Galloway
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
- Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Kathleen M. Winn
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
- Larry Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- City of San Diego v. John Roe
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Michael Clingman v. Andrea L. Beaver
- Jon B. Cutter v. Reginald Wilkinson
- Ulysses Tory v. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of KentuckyLaw 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