Byrne v. Karalexis
401 U.S. 216 · Decided February 23, 1971 · 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
Byrne v. Karalexis was decided on February 23, 1971 by a vote of 5–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, obscenity” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 216 · 91 S. Ct. 777 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 792 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 87
- Docket number
- 83
- Decided
- February 23, 1971
- Argued
- April 30, 1970
- Reargued
- November 17, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, obscenity
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Abstention doctrine
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Byrne, District Attorney of Suffolk County, et al. v. Karalexis et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-043, docket 1970-043-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, obscenity”
Cases on the same legal provision: Abstention doctrine
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. City of Chicago
- Odom v. United States
- Fornaris v. Ridge Tool Co.
- Arnold Tours, Inc. v. Camp
- Port of Boston Marine Terminal Assn. v. Rederiaktiebolaget Transatlantic
- Bruno v. Pennsylvania
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