Welsh v. United States

Decided June 15, 1970. Hugo Lafayette Black delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 76 · 398 U.S. 333 (1970) · Cited 785 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

“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.

• United States v. Seeger · 380 U.S. 163 (1965)
• Sherbert v. Verner · 374 U.S. 398 (1963)
• Zorach v. Clauson · 343 U.S. 306 (1952)
• Skinner v. Oklahoma Ex Rel. Williamson · 316 U.S. 535 (1942)
• Iowa-Des Moines National Bank v. Bennett · 284 U.S. 239 (1932)
• McGowan v. Maryland · 366 U.S. 420 (1961)
• Engel v. Vitale · 370 U.S. 421 (1962)
• Torcaso v. Watkins · 367 U.S. 488 (1961)
• United States v. MacIntosh · 283 U.S. 605 (1931)
• Epperson v. Arkansas · 393 U.S. 97 (1968)
• Katzenbach v. Morgan · 384 U.S. 641 (1966)
• Illinois Ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Ed. of School Dist. No. 71, Champaign Cty. · 333 U.S. 203 (1948)
• United States v. REESE · 92 U.S. 214 (1876)
• Hamilton v. Regents of the University of California · 293 U.S. 245 (1934)
• Marchetti v. United States · 390 U.S. 39 (1968)
• Board of Ed. of Central School Dist. No. 1 v. Allen · 392 U.S. 236 (1968)
• National Life Insurance v. United States · 277 U.S. 508 (1928)
• Smith v. Cahoon · 283 U.S. 553 (1931)
• Dorchy v. Kansas · 264 U.S. 286 (1924)
• Fowler v. Rhode Island · 345 U.S. 67 (1953)
• Follett v. Town of McCormick · 321 U.S. 573 (1944)
• Yu Cong Eng v. Trinidad · 271 U.S. 500 (1926)
• Katz v. United States · 389 U.S. 347 (1967)
• Cantwell v. Connecticut · 310 U.S. 296 (1940)
• Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority · 297 U.S. 288 (1936)
• Reynolds v. United States · 98 U.S. 145 (1879)
• Everson v. Board of Ed. of Ewing · 330 U.S. 1 (1947)
• Estes v. Texas · 381 U.S. 532 (1965)
• Walz v. Tax Comm'n of City of New York · 397 U.S. 664 (1970)
• United States v. Jackson · 390 U.S. 570 (1968)

Cited by

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

• Sessions v. Morales-Santana · 582 U.S. 47 (2017)
• Gillette v. United States · 401 U.S. 437 (1971)
• Ehlert v. United States · 402 U.S. 99 (1971)
• Wisconsin v. Yoder · 406 U.S. 205 (1972)
• Board of Ed. of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist. v. Grumet · 512 U.S. 687 (1994)
• United States v. Booker · 543 U.S. 220 (2005)
• Texas Monthly, Inc. v. Bullock · 489 U.S. 1 (1989)
• Califano v. Westcott · 443 U.S. 76 (1979)
• Barr v. American Assn. of Political Consultants, Inc. · 591 U.S. 610 (2020)
• Williams v. Florida · 399 U.S. 78 (1970)
• Regan v. Time, Inc. · 468 U.S. 641 (1984)
• Heckler v. Mathews · 465 U.S. 728 (1984)
• Miller v. Albright · 523 U.S. 420 (1998)
• Clay v. United States · 403 U.S. 698 (1971)
• Buckley v. Valeo · 424 U.S. 1 (1976)
• California v. Green · 399 U.S. 149 (1970)
• Lemon v. Kurtzman · 403 U.S. 602 (1971)
• Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence · 468 U.S. 288 (1984)
• Coleman v. Alabama · 399 U.S. 1 (1970)
• Davis v. Michigan Department of the Treasury · 489 U.S. 803 (1989)
• Williams v. Illinois · 399 U.S. 235 (1970)
• Lee v. Weisman · 505 U.S. 577 (1992)
• Wallace v. Jaffree · 472 U.S. 38 (1985)
• Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison · 432 U.S. 63 (1977)
• Bowsher v. Synar · 478 U.S. 714 (1986)
• California Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Guerra · 479 U.S. 272 (1987)
• United States v. Sisson · 399 U.S. 267 (1970)
• McGee v. United States · 402 U.S. 479 (1971)
• United States Trustee v. John Q. Hammons Fall 2006, LLC · 602 U.S. 487 (2024)

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).