Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Board of Ed. of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist. v. Grumet Case Brief

Supreme Court of the United States1994Docket #248534
129 L. Ed. 2d 546 114 S. Ct. 2481 512 U.S. 687 1994 U.S. LEXIS 4830 Constitutional Law Administrative Law Education Law

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
3 min read

tl;dr: A New York law creating a separate public school district for a village of Satmar Hasidic Jews was held unconstitutional. The Supreme Court found this violated the Establishment Clause by delegating state power based on a religious criterion, thus favoring one religion over others.

Legal Significance: The case establishes that a state may not delegate its civic authority, such as control over public schools, to a group defined by a religious criterion, as this violates the principle of governmental neutrality required by the Establishment Clause.

Board of Ed. of Kiryas Joel Village School Dist. v. Grumet Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

The Village of Kiryas Joel is a religious enclave populated exclusively by Satmar Hasidim, a sect of Orthodox Judaism. The community’s children attend private religious schools that do not provide special education services for children with disabilities. Initially, the local public school district provided these services at an annex to a religious school, but this practice ceased following the Supreme Court’s decisions in Aguilar v. Felton and School Dist. of Grand Rapids v. Ball. Satmar parents found sending their children to public schools outside the village traumatic due to cultural and religious differences. In response, the New York Legislature passed a special statute, Chapter 748, which carved out the Village of Kiryas Joel as a separate public school district. The boundaries of the new district were coterminous with the religiously homogeneous village. The district was created to provide secular special education services to the village’s children with disabilities. Respondents challenged the statute as a violation of the Establishment Clause.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Does a state statute that creates a separate public school district with boundaries drawn to correspond to a religiously homogeneous village violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?

Yes. The statute is unconstitutional because it carves out a political subdivision Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commod

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IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the exact format professors want to see in your exam answers. Our exclusive Flash-to-Full briefs combine holding, analysis, and rule statements formatted to match what A+ students produce in exams. These structured briefs help reinforce the essential legal reasoning patterns expected in law school.

Legal Issue

Does a state statute that creates a separate public school district with boundaries drawn to correspond to a religiously homogeneous village violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?

Conclusion

The decision reinforces the principle that the Establishment Clause prohibits the state Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in

Legal Rule

A state violates the Establishment Clause when it delegates discretionary governmental power, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in v

Legal Analysis

The Court, in an opinion by Justice Souter, held that Chapter 748 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiu

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • A state law creating a special school district with boundaries drawn
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident,

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