Legal Opinion
Flast v. Cohen
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided June 10, 1968No. 416PublishedCited by 3,425 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtChief Justice Warren
In Frothingham v. Mellon, 262 U. S. 447 (1923), this Court ruled that a federal taxpayer is without standing to challenge the constitutionality of a federal statute. That ruling has stood for 45 years as an impenetrable barrier to suits against Acts of Congress brought by individuals who can assert only the interest of federal taxpayers. In this case, we must decide whether the Frothingham barrier should be lowered when a taxpayer attacks a federal statute on the ground that it violates the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment.
Appellants filed suit in the United…
2Cases cited37 opinions
- Baker v. CarrSupreme Court of the United States · 1962
- McGowan v. MarylandSupreme Court of the United States · 1961
- Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley AuthoritySupreme Court of the United States · 1936
- Aetna Life Insurance v. HaworthSupreme Court of the United States · 1937
- Dombrowski v. PfisterSupreme Court of the United States · 1965
32 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by3,425 opinions
- Warth v. SeldinSupreme Court of the United States · 1975
- City of Los Angeles v. LyonsSupreme Court of the United States · 1983
- Rakas v. IllinoisSupreme Court of the United States · 1979
- Roe v. WadeSupreme Court of the United States · 1973
- Allen v. WrightSupreme Court of the United States · 1984
3,420 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.