Bolger v. Youngs Drug Products Corp.
463 U.S. 60 · Decided June 24, 1983 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Bolger v. Youngs Drug Products Corp. was decided on June 24, 1983 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 463 U.S. 60 · 103 S. Ct. 2875 · 77 L. Ed. 2d 469 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 85
- Docket number
- 81-1590
- Decided
- June 24, 1983
- Argued
- January 12, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Commercial speech, excluding attorneys
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 39 U.S.C. § 3001
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence |
Did not participate: William J. Brennan Jr..
Full case caption
Bolger et al. v. Youngs Drug Products Corp.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-135, docket 1982-135-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys”
- Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San DiegoLaw held unconstitutional
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission of New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico
- Friedman v. Rogers
- Board of Trustees of the State University of New York v. Fox
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee
- Perry Education Association v. Perry Local Educators' Association
- Minneapolis Star & Tribune Co. v. Minnesota Commissioner of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Connick v. Myers
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