Wheeler v. Barrera
417 U.S. 402 · Decided June 10, 1974 · 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
Wheeler v. Barrera was decided on June 10, 1974 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 417 U.S. 402 · 94 S. Ct. 2274 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 159 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 70
- Docket number
- 73-62
- Decided
- June 10, 1974
- Argued
- January 16, 1974
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Wheeler et al. v. Barrera et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-134, docket 1973-134-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Parochiaid (aid to religious schools)”
- Meek v. PittengerLaw held unconstitutional
- Levitt v. Committee for Public Education & Religious LibertyLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunt v. McNair
- Sloan v. LemonLaw held unconstitutional
- Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. NyquistLaw held unconstitutional
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
Cases on the same legal provision: Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Plummer v. City of ColumbusLaw held unconstitutional
- Norwell v. City of Cincinnati
- Musser v. United States
- Hess v. Indiana
- Communist Party of Indiana v. WhitcombLaw held unconstitutional
- Lewis v. City of New OrleansLaw 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