Pleasant Grove City, UT v. Summum
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-665 | 10th Cir. |
Nov 12, 2008 |
Feb 25, 2009 | 9-0 | Alito | OT 2008 |
Issue: Whether, under the First Amendment, privately donated monuments placed in a public park qualify as private or government speech.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito on February 25, 2009.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Analysis: Sound and fury, meaning...what? (Lyle Denniston, February 25, 2009)
- Court allows religious monument (Lyle Denniston, February 25, 2009)
- Analysis: Pondering the "tyranny of labels" (Lyle Denniston, November 12, 2008)
- Argument preview: Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (Lyle Denniston, November 11, 2008)
- New Filing: Petitioner's Brief in Pleasant Grove v. Summum (Jason Harrow, June 17, 2008)
- Conference Call: A Monumental Decision for the High Court (Ben Winograd, March 24, 2008)
Briefs and Documents
Merit briefs
- Brief for Respondent Summum, a Corporate Sole and Church
- Reply Brief for Petitioner Pleasant Grove City, Jim Danklef, Mark Atwood, Cindy Boyd, Mike Daniels, Darold McDade, Jeff Wilson, Carol Harmer, G. Keith Corry, and Frank Mills
Amicus briefs
- Brief for the City of New York in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Foundation for Free Expression in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Jewish Social Policy Action Network, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Thirteen Other States, and Puerto Rico in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Foundation for Moral Law, the National Clergy Council, and the Nations Capital in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the James Madison Center for Free Speech in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the American Catholic Lawyers Association in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Inc., the Non Commissioned Officers Association of the USA, Veterans of The Vietnam War, Inc. & The Veterans Coalition, and American Ex-Prisoners of War in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Robert and Mildred Tong in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the National Legal Foundation in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for Faith and Action and Basic Life Principles in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Liberty Counsel in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the United States in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the International Municipal Lawyers Association in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Cities of Casper, Wyoming; City of Norman, Oklahoma; City of Indianapolis, Indiana; City of Ogden, Utah; City of Lawton, Oklahoma; Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; City Of Provo, Utah; City of Bismarck, North Dakota; and City of Colorado Springs, Colorado in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Alliance Defense Fund and the Family Research Council in Support of Petitioner
- Brief for the Rutherford Institute in Support of Respondent
- Brief for the American Jewish Congress in Support of Respondent
- Brief for the Center for Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism in Support of Neither Party
- Brief for the Boy Scouts of America in Support of Neither Party
- Brief for the American Jewish Committee, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Anti-Defamation League, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, and People for the American Way Foundation in Support of Neither Party
- Brief for the American Humanist Association, the American Ethical Union, Atheist Alliance International, the Institute for Humanist Studies Secular Student Alliance, Society for Humanistic Judaism, and Unitarian Universalist Association in Support of Neither Party
Certiorari-stage documents
- Opinion below (10th Circuit)
- Petition for certiorari
- Brief in opposition
- Brief of Virginia, eight other states and Puerto Rico in support of Petitioner
- Brief of the American Legion in support of Petitioner
- Brief of the cities of Casper, Wyoming; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Ogden, Utah in support of Petitioner
