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Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of Berkeley

454 U.S. 290 · Decided December 14, 1981 · 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

Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of Berkeley was decided on December 14, 1981 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.

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Case details

Citations
454 U.S. 290 · 102 S. Ct. 434 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 492 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 135
Docket number
80-737
Decided
December 14, 1981
Argued
October 14, 1981
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
8–1
Majority opinion
Warren E. Burger
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue (SCDB)
Campaign spending
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (association)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A municipal or other local ordinance
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Byron R. WhiteDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Harry A. BlackmunSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensMajority
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorSpecial concurrence

Full case caption

Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing et al. v. City of Berkeley, California, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1981-015, docket 1981-015-01.

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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