Everson v. Board of Education of the Township of Ewing et al.

Decided February 10, 1947. Hugo Lafayette Black delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 52 · 330 U.S. 1 (1947) · Cited 1,823 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

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.

• Akins v. Texas · 325 U.S. 398 (1945)
• Murdock v. Pennsylvania · 319 U.S. 105 (1943)
• Cochran v. Louisiana State Board of Education · 281 U.S. 370 (1930)
• Watson v. Jones · 80 U.S. 679 (1872)
• Cantwell v. Connecticut · 310 U.S. 296 (1940)
• Reuben Quick Bear v. Leupp · 210 U.S. 50 (1908)
• Reynolds v. United States · 98 U.S. 145 (1879)
• Thomas v. Collins · 323 U.S. 516 (1945)
• Carmichael v. Southern Coal & Coke Co. · 301 U.S. 495 (1937)
• Interstate Consolidated Street Railway Co. v. Massachusetts · 207 U.S. 79 (1907)
• Prince v. Massachusetts · 321 U.S. 158 (1944)
• West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette · 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
• Marsh v. Alabama · 326 U.S. 501 (1946)
• Martin v. City of Struthers · 319 U.S. 141 (1943)
• Jamison v. Texas · 318 U.S. 413 (1943)
• Green v. Frazier · 253 U.S. 233 (1920)
• Schneider v. State (Town of Irvington) · 308 U.S. 147 (1939)
• Jacobson v. Massachusetts · 197 U.S. 11 (1905)
• Wickard v. Filburn · 317 U.S. 111 (1942)
• Douglas v. City of Jeannette · 319 U.S. 157 (1943)
• United States v. Carolene Products Co. · 304 U.S. 144 (1938)
• Ex Parte Garland · 71 U.S. 333 (1867)
• Knowlton v. Moore · 178 U.S. 41 (1900)
• Norris v. Alabama · 294 U.S. 587 (1935)
• United States v. Lovett · 328 U.S. 303 (1946)
• Barron Ex Rel. Tiernan v. Mayor of Baltimore · 32 U.S. 243 (1833)
• Liverpool, New York & Philadelphia Steamship Co. v. Commissioners of Emigration · 113 U.S. 33 (1885)
• Cleveland v. United States · 329 U.S. 14 (1946)
• Thompson v. Consolidated Gas Utilities Corp. · 300 U.S. 55 (1937)
• Follett v. Town of McCormick · 321 U.S. 573 (1944)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Mitchell v. Helms · 530 U.S. 793 (2000)
• Committee for Public Education & Religious Liberty v. Nyquist · 413 U.S. 756 (1973)
• Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of University of Virginia · 515 U.S. 819 (1995)
• Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer · 582 U.S. 449 (2017)
• Zelman v. Simmons-Harris · 536 U.S. 639 (2002)
• Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc. · 454 U.S. 464 (1982)
• Wallace v. Jaffree · 472 U.S. 38 (1985)
• Illinois Ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Ed. of School Dist. No. 71, Champaign Cty. · 333 U.S. 203 (1948)
• Wolman v. Walter · 433 U.S. 229 (1977)
• Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue · 591 U.S. 464 (2020)
• Lemon v. Kurtzman · 403 U.S. 602 (1971)
• Board of Ed. of Central School Dist. No. 1 v. Allen · 392 U.S. 236 (1968)
• Walz v. Tax Comm'n of City of New York · 397 U.S. 664 (1970)
• Lee v. Weisman · 505 U.S. 577 (1992)
• Lynch v. Donnelly · 465 U.S. 668 (1984)
• Torcaso v. Watkins · 367 U.S. 488 (1961)
• McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Ky. · 545 U.S. 844 (2005)
• American Legion v. American Humanist Assn. · 588 U.S. 29 (2019)
• McGowan v. Maryland · 366 U.S. 420 (1961)
• County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union · 492 U.S. 573 (1989)
• Mueller v. Allen · 463 U.S. 388 (1983)
• Roemer v. Board of Public Works of Md. · 426 U.S. 736 (1976)
• Meek v. Pittenger · 421 U.S. 349 (1975)
• Town of Greece v. Galloway · 572 U.S. 565 (2014)
• Engel v. Vitale · 370 U.S. 421 (1962)
• Tilton v. Richardson · 403 U.S. 672 (1971)
• School District of Grand Rapids v. Ball · 473 U.S. 373 (1985)
• Carson v. Makin · 596 U.S. 767 (2022)
• Van Orden v. Perry · 545 U.S. 677 (2005)
• Norwood v. Harrison · 413 U.S. 455 (1973)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).