County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union

The second of the holiday display in question was an 18-foot (5.5 m) public Hanukkah menorah, which was placed just outside the City-County Building next to the city's 45-foot (14 m) decorated Christmas tree and a sign saluting liberty.In a complex and fragmented decision, the majority held that the County of Allegheny violated the Establishment Clause by displaying a crèche in the county courthouse, because the "principal or primary effect" of the display was to advance religion within the meaning of Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), when viewed in its overall context.Its combined display with a Christmas tree and a sign saluting liberty did not impermissibly endorse both the Christian and Jewish faiths, but simply recognized that both Christmas and Hanukkah are part of the same winter-holiday season, which, the Court found, had attained a secular status in U.S. society.However, Brennan disagreed with Blackmun and O'Connor's respective opinions by stating that the menorah and Christmas tree are also violations of the Establishment Clause.In III-B, Justice Blackmun sets the issue of the case as deciding if the crèche and menorah have "the total effect of endorsing or disapproving religious beliefs."Justices Blackmun and Brennan also argue that Hanukkah's social prominence in America may be due to the proximity to Christmas."[5] Justice Blackmun found that the crèche endorsed a "patently Christian message," and permanently enjoined its display in the context presented.[1] In his dissenting opinion, Justice Kennedy believed that the crèche does not fail the second prong of the Lemon test, and its display is therefore constitutional.
Supreme Court of the United StatesL. Ed. 2dU.S. LEXISWilliam RehnquistWilliam J. Brennan Jr.Byron WhiteThurgood MarshallHarry BlackmunJohn P. StevensSandra Day O'ConnorAntonin ScaliaAnthony KennedyU.S. Const. amend. IUnited States Supreme CourtChristmasHanukkahPittsburghnativity sceneAllegheny County Courthousepublic Hanukkah menorahCity-County BuildingChristmas treeEstablishment ClauseLemon v. KurtzmanLynch v. DonnellyHoly Name SocietyGloria in Excelsis DeoPittsburgh City-County BuildingChabad HouseLubavitchRoslyn LitmanFourteenth AmendmentDistrict CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third CircuitcertiorariJustice O'ConnorJustice BlackmunJustice BrennanJustices StevensMarshallJustice KennedyChief Justice RehnquistJustices WhiteScaliaRosh HashanahYom KippurMarsh v. ChambersConstitutionscrutinyList of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 492List of United States Supreme Court casesLists of United States Supreme Court cases by volumeList of United States Supreme Court cases by the Rehnquist CourtPittsburgh CrècheNew York TimesU.S. Supreme CourtFirst Amendment to the United States ConstitutionBoard of Trustees of Scarsdale v. McCrearyVan Orden v. PerryMcCreary County v. American Civil Liberties UnionPleasant Grove City v. SummumSalazar v. BuonoTown of Greece v. GallowayAmerican Legion v. American Humanist AssociationWalz v. Tax Comm'n of the City of New YorkBob Jones University v. United StatesEstate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc.Corp. of Presiding Bishop v. AmosTexas Monthly, Inc. v. BullockCity of Boerne v. FloresCutter v. WilkinsonEverson v. Board of EducationFlast v. CohenTilton v. RichardsonCommittee for Public Education v. NyquistValley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church & StateMueller v. AllenAguilar v. FeltonWitters v. Washington Department of Services for the BlindZobrest v. Catalina Foothills School DistrictBoard of Ed. of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist. v. GrumetAgostini v. FeltonMitchell v. HelmsZelman v. Simmons-HarrisLocke v. DaveyArizona Christian Sch. Tuition Org. v. WinnTrinity Lutheran Church v. ComerEspinoza v. Montana Department of RevenueCarson v. MakinOklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. DrummondMcCollum v. Board of EducationZorach v. ClausonEngel v. VitaleAbington School District v. SchemppEpperson v. ArkansasStone v. GrahamWallace v. JaffreeEdwards v. AguillardWestside Community Board of Ed. v. MergensLee v. WeismanSanta Fe Ind. School Dist. v. DoeElk Grove Unif. School Dist. v. NewdowKennedy v. Bremerton School Dist.Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School Dist.Capitol Square Review & Advisory Board v. PinetteRosenberger v. Univ. of VirginiaGood News Club v. Milford Central SchoolShurtleff v. City of BostonWatson v. JonesUnited States v. BallardPresbyterian Church v. Hull ChurchSerbian Orthodox Diocese v. MilivojevichHein v. Freedom From Religion FoundationBlue lawsMcGowan v. MarylandBraunfeld v. BrownTorcaso v. WatkinsMcDaniel v. PatyHarris v. McRaeLarkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Bowen v. KendrickTrump v. HawaiiCity of PittsburghGovernmentAirportConvention CenterCity CouncilCity HallCourthouseDistrict AttorneyEducationEventsInterGovLibrariesPoliceRegionalSheriffTransitEconomyAllegheny ConferenceDuquesne ClubChamber of CommerceCorporationsEconomic ClubHYP ClubStock ExchangeColleges and universitiesCulturecookie tabletheatreGreen ManPittsburgh Parking ChairPicklesburghDialectYinzerFictional settingstelevisionHistorytimelineJewish history2018 synagogue shootingPittsburgh toiletHospitalsMuseumsNeighborhoodsNicknamesNotable PittsburghersRegioncombined statistical areaSkyscrapersSportsTransportation