American Legion v. American Humanist Assn.
Decided June 20, 2019. Samuel A. Alito Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 17-1717 · 588 U.S. 29 (2019) · Cited 30 times
Holding
The Bladensburg Cross does not violate the Establishment Clause.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 7–2.
Majority · 5
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr. · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Elena Kagan · filed a concurring opinion
- Brett M. Kavanaugh · filed a concurring opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer · filed a concurring opinion
Concurring · 2
- Clarence Thomas · filed an opinion concurring in the judgment
- Neil M. Gorsuch · filed an opinion concurring in the judgment
Dissenting · 2
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Town of Greece v. Galloway · 572 U.S. 565 (2014)
- Van Orden v. Perry · 545 U.S. 677 (2005)
- Salazar v. Buono · 559 U.S. 700 (2010)
- County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union · 492 U.S. 573 (1989)
- Lemon v. Kurtzman · 403 U.S. 602 (1971)
- Everson v. Board of Ed. of Ewing · 330 U.S. 1 (1947)
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Ky. · 545 U.S. 844 (2005)
- Engel v. Vitale · 370 U.S. 421 (1962)
- Marsh v. Chambers · 463 U.S. 783 (1983)
- Pleasant Grove City v. Summum · 555 U.S. 460 (2009)
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc. · 454 U.S. 464 (1982)
- Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board v. Pinette · 515 U.S. 753 (1995)
- Zelman v. Simmons-Harris · 536 U.S. 639 (2002)
- Mitchell v. Helms · 530 U.S. 793 (2000)
- Kowalski v. Tesmer · 543 U.S. 125 (2004)
- Allen v. Wright · 468 U.S. 737 (1984)
- Cutter v. Wilkinson · 544 U.S. 709 (2005)
- Lynch v. Donnelly · 465 U.S. 668 (1984)
- Lee v. Weisman · 505 U.S. 577 (1992)
- Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District · 508 U.S. 384 (1993)
- Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Amos · 483 U.S. 327 (1987)
- Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife · 504 U.S. 555 (1992)
- McGowan v. Maryland · 366 U.S. 420 (1961)
- Whitmore Ex Rel. Simmons v. Arkansas · 495 U.S. 149 (1990)
- Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of University of Virginia · 515 U.S. 819 (1995)
- Harris v. McRae · 448 U.S. 297 (1980)
- Walz v. Tax Comm'n of City of New York · 397 U.S. 664 (1970)
- Schlesinger v. Reservists Committee to Stop the War · 418 U.S. 208 (1974)
- Diamond v. Charles · 476 U.S. 54 (1986)
- Wallace v. Jaffree · 472 U.S. 38 (1985)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue · 591 U.S. 464 (2020)
- Georgia v. Public Resource.Org, Inc. · 590 U.S. 255 (2020)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
Explore from here
Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2019). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).