Home > Great American Court Cases > Lynch v. Donnelly

Legal Citation: 465 U.S. 668 (1984)

Petitioner
Lynch, Mayor of Pawtucket, et al.

Respondent
Donnelly, et al.

Petitioner's Claim
A nativity scene should be allowed in public view.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
William F. McMahon

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Amato A. DeLuca

Justices for the Court
Warren E. Burger (writing for the Court), Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
5 March 1984

Decision
The nativity scene was allowed to remain in view.

Significance
The case led many to believe that the Court was tempering its stand for the separation of church and...