Bachellar v. Maryland
397 U.S. 564 · Decided April 20, 1970 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Bachellar v. Maryland was decided on April 20, 1970 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 397 U.S. 564 · 90 S. Ct. 1312 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 570 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 49
- Docket number
- 729
- Decided
- April 20, 1970
- Argued
- March 2, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority |
Full case caption
Bachellar et al. v. Maryland
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-076, docket 1969-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Schacht v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
- Cowgill v. California
- Radich v. New York
- Street v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Gregory v. City of Chicago
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Rowan v. United States Post Office Department
- Cain v. Kentucky
- Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler
- Bloss v. Dykema
- Walker v. Ohio
- Hoyt v. Minnesota
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Bryson v. United States
- Carlos v. New York
- Cowgill v. California
- Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
- Cole v. Richardson
- Cain v. Kentucky
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error