| Case
Name |
Year | Decision
of the Court | Topic
Group(s) | |
| Terrett v. Taylor, 13 U.S. (9 Cranch) 43 | 1815 | Virginia may not expropriate property of the formerly established Episcopal Church or abolish its incorporation. |
Church Property
| |
| Town of Pawlet v. Clark, 13 U.S. (9 Cranch) 292 | 1815 | Royal grant of land to Church of England was not completed; following the Revolution the State of Vermont, as successor to English Crown, could claim the land and convey it to town for schools; Episcopal Church in the town had no right or title. |
Church Property
| |
| Soc’y for Propagation of the Gospel v. Town of New Haven, 21 U.S. (8 Wheat.) 464 | 1823 | English corporation, controlled by British subjects, did not lose its real estate in Vermont; title was secured by treaty of peace. |
Church Property
| |
| Beatty v. Kurtz, 27 U.S. (2 Pet.) 566 | 1829 | Although legal title in unincorporated Lutheran church land, now used as cemetery, was deficient, nevertheless equity permitted settlement of title in the church out of religious sensibilities and sentiments for kindred of the deceased. |
Church Property
| |
| Goesele v. Bimeler, 55 U.S. (14 How.) 589 | 1852 | Heirs of deceased member of Society of Separatists cannot recover share of property from the society. |
Church Property
| |
| Smith v. Swormstedt, 57 U.S. (16 How.) 288 | 1853 | When a church voluntarily divides, a suit in equity may lie to effect a division of jointly held property. |
Church Property
| |
| Baker v. Nachtrieb, 60 U.S. (19 How.) 126 | 1856 | Defecting member of Harmony Society cannot recover share of property from the society. |
Church Property
| |
| Attorney General v. Federal Street Meeting-house, 66 U.S. (1 Black) 262 | 1862 | In dispute between Presbyterians and Unitarians over title to church meetinghouse in Boston, held that there was no subject matter jurisdiction to permit an appeal from state court. |
Church Property
| |
| Christian Union v. Yount, 101 U.S. 352 | 1879 | As a matter of statutory construction, out-of-state religious corporations can receive a conveyance of property in Illinois. |
Church Property
| |
| Missionary Soc’y of M.E. Church v. Dalles City,107 U.S. 336 | 1883 | Oregon Territory’s grant of land to religious society in possession was proper. |
Church Property
|
|
| Gilmer v. Stone, 120 U.S. 586 | 1887 | As a matter of statutory construction, Presbyterian Home and Foreign Mission Boards are not groups "organized for religious worship" under Illinois statute limiting such groups to ten acres of land. |
Church Property
| |
| Speidel v. Henrici, 120 U.S. 377 | 1887 | Due to laches, defecting member of Harmony Society cannot recover share of property from the Society. |
Church Property
| |
| Late Corp. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. United States, 136 U.S. 1 | 1890 | Upheld revocation of Mormon Church charter and confiscation of church property. |
Church Property
Polygamy
| |
| Late Corp. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. United States,140 U.S. 665 | 1891 | Decree entered on opinion reported at 136 U.S. 1 (1890) |
Church Property
Polygamy
|
|
| Catholic Bishop of Nesqually v. Gibbon,158 U.S. 155 | 1895 | Grant of small tract of public land, within administration of federal agency, to a church in possession dating back to British Hudson Bay Co., was held conclusive. |
Church Property
|
|
| Schwartz v. Duss, 187 U.S. 8 | 1902 | Harmony Society was not shown to have been dissolved, therefore its property was not subject to distribution. |
Church Property
| |
| Lowrey v. Hawaii, 206 U.S. 206 | 1907 | Claim involving an 1849 agreement whereby a foreign mission board transferred a school to the Hawaiian government on condition that Christian training be continuously offered at the school. In the event of nonfulfillment of that condition, the agreement provided for reversion of title to the grantor or payment of $15,000, at the government's option. Hawaii later converted the school into an agricultural college and the teaching of religion ceased. Notwithstanding that Hawaii's Organic Act of 1894 prohibited governmental aid to a sectarian or denominational school, the Court ordered Hawaii to exercise its option. |
Church Property
| |
| Ponce v. Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, 210 U.S. 296 | 1908 | Land in Puerto Rico given to Roman Catholic Church by Spain remains the property of the church after Puerto Rico is annexed by United States; church had juridical personality notwithstanding lack of incorporation. |
Church Property
| |
| Santos v. Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, 212 U.S. 463 | 1909 | Catholic Church is entitled to recover chapel in Philipppines notwithstanding that land was first acquired by the church as a gift for Spain; the Phillippines was acquired by U.S. in treaty following war with Spain. |
Church Property
| |
| Lowrey v. Hawaii, 215 U.S. 554 | 1910 | Government's proposal to teach a form of general evangelical Christianity does not meet condition of agreement to teach a definite Congregational and Presbyterian doctrine. Hawaii ordered to pay $15,000 pursuant to decision and judgment in Lowrey v. Hawaii, 206 U.S. 206 (1907). |
Church Property
| |
| Helm v. Zarecor, 222 U.S. 32 | 1911 | In dispute between Presbyterians over control of publishing house, trustees of publisher were not to be realigned to defeat diversity jurisdiction because to do so would pre-judge the merits. |
Church Property
| |
| Sharpe v. Bonham, 224 U.S. 241 | 1912 | In dispute between Presbyterians over control of publishing house, trustees of publisher were not to be realigned to defeat diversity jurisdiction because to do so would pre-judge the merits. |
Church Property
| |
| Shepard v. Barkley, 247 U.S. 1 (aff'd mem.) | 1918 | Presbyterian Church merger controlled by decision in Watson v. Jones, 80 U.S. (13 Wall.) 679 (1871). |
Church Autonomy
Church Property
| |
