Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York
397 U.S. 664 · Decided May 4, 1970 · 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
Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York was decided on May 4, 1970 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Establishment of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 397 U.S. 664 · 90 S. Ct. 1409 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 697 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 43
- Docket number
- 135
- Decided
- May 4, 1970
- Argued
- November 19, 1969
- 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
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of New York
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-087, docket 1969-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Establishment of religion”
- Epperson v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Chamberlin v. Dade County Board of Public InstructionLaw held unconstitutional
- School District of Abington Township v. SchemppLaw held unconstitutional
- Arlan's Department Store of Louisville, Inc. v. Kentucky
- Engel v. Vitale
- Torcaso v. WatkinsLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (establishment of religion)
- Lemon v. KurtzmanLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Education of Central School District No. 1 v. Allen
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Levitt v. Committee for Public Education & Religious LibertyLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunt v. McNair
- Sloan v. LemonLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Bryson v. United States
- Carlos v. New York
- Cowgill v. California
- Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
- Cole v. Richardson
- Cain v. Kentucky
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