Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State

United States Supreme Court

454 U.S. 464 (1982)

Relevant factsFree

The federal government transferred a surplus hospital property, for free, to Valley Forge Christian College (defendant), a religious ministry-training institution; a citizens' advocacy group, Americans United (plaintiff), sued to challenge the donation as an Establishment Clause violation, asserting standing based on its members' status as taxpayers and citizens.

IssueFree

Whether standing in federal court requires litigants to show personal injury in fact traceable to the challenged conduct and redressable by the courts.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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