Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton
536 U.S. 150 · Decided June 17, 2002 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton was decided on June 17, 2002 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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 municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 536 U.S. 150 · 122 S. Ct. 2080 · 153 L. Ed. 2d 205 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 4422
- Docket number
- 00-1737
- Decided
- June 17, 2002
- Argued
- February 26, 2002
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., et al. v. Village of Stratton et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-063, docket 2001-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
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- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
- Christian Legal Society Chapter of the University of California v. Leo P. Martinez
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. and Ernesto Pichardo v. City of HialeahLaw held unconstitutional
- Lamb's Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
- Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Be & K Construction Company v. National Labor Relations Board
- Republican Party of Minnesota v. Suzanne White
- City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc.
- Tommy G. Thompson v. Western States Medical CenterLaw held unconstitutional
- Caren Cronk Thomas and Windy City Hemp Development Board v. Chicago Park District
- Virginia v. Barry Elton BlackLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Caren Cronk Thomas and Windy City Hemp Development Board v. Chicago Park District
- John D. Ashcroft v. the Free Speech CoalitionLaw held unconstitutional
- Tommy G. Thompson v. Western States Medical CenterLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc.
- John Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- Susan Tave Zelman v. Doris Simmons-Harris
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