Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Decided
- January 12, 1982
- Docket
- 80-327
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 4,651 timesAbrogated in part on other grounds (not yet verified)Possible negative treatment: abrogated in part on other grounds (not yet verified) · Sangervasi v. City Of San Jose
What later courts said
- recognizing that a plaintiff lacks standing if the plaintiff's alleged injuryis not "redressable" by a favorable court decision — Coyne v. The American Tobacco Company (1999)
- holding that the exercise of judicial power is limited to those litigants who can show injury in fact — Clay v. Fort Wayne Community Schools (1996)
- holding that the Court was “unwilling to countenance” a theory whereby “[t]he existence of injured parties who might not wish to bring suit becomes irrelevant” — Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights v. City and County of San Francisco (2010)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
Justice Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.
I
Article IV, § 3, cl. 2, of the Constitution vests Congress with the “Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the . . . Property belonging to the United States.” Shortly after the termination of hostilities in the Second World War, Congress enacted the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, 63 Stat. 377, as amended, 40 U. S. C. § 471 et seq. (1976 ed. and Supp. III). The Act was designed, in part, to provide “an economical and efficient system for . . . the disposal of surplus property.” 63 Stat. 378, 40 U. S. C. §471. In furtherance of this policy, federal agencies are directed to maintain adequate inventories of the property under their control and to identify excess property for transfer to other agencies able to use it. See 63 Stat. 384, 40 U. S. C. §§ 483(b), (c).[1] Property that has outlived its usefulness to the Federal Government is declared “surplus”[2] and may be transferred to pri [*467] vate or other public entities. See generally 63 Stat. 385, as amended, 40 U. S. C. §484.
Statutes cited
- 40 U.S.C. § 471
- 40 U.S.C. § 483
- 40 U.S.C. § 484
- 40 U.S.C. § 472
- 20 U.S.C. § 3411
- 5 U.S.C. § 702
Cite this
Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc., 454 U.S. 464 (1982)Read the full opinion
Reading the library on this site uses your account’s daily calls, the same as the connector and the API. The Free plan needs no card. Calls a day on each plan.