McDaniel v. Paty

McDaniel v. Paty
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued December 5, 1977 Decided April 19, 1978
Full case name	McDaniel v. Paty
Citations	435 U.S. 618 (more)
Court membership
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger Associate Justices William J. Brennan, Jr. · Potter Stewart Byron White · Thurgood Marshall Harry Blackmun · Lewis F. Powell, Jr. William Rehnquist · John P. Stevens
Case opinions
Majority	Burger, joined by Powell, Rehnquist, Stevens
Concurrence	Brennan, joined by Marshall
Concurrence	Stewart
Concurrence	White
Blackmun took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.

McDaniel v. Paty, 435 U.S. 618 (1978), was a United States Supreme Court case that struck down the last remaining state restriction against religious ministers holding elected office.

Background

McDaniel was a Baptist minister from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He filed as a candidate to be a delegate to the 1977 Tennessee State Constitutional Convention. His opponent successfully challenged his candidacy based on a state law that forbade ordained ministers from elected office.

Decision

The court ruled that the state law violated both the First and Fourteenth amendments.