City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
541 U.S. 774 · Decided June 7, 2004 · 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
City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C. was decided on June 7, 2004 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 541 U.S. 774 · 124 S. Ct. 2219 · 159 L. Ed. 2d 84 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 4026
- Docket number
- 02-1609
- Decided
- June 7, 2004
- Argued
- March 24, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
City of Littleton, Colorado v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C., a Limited Liability Company, Dba Christal's
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-068, docket 2003-068-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc.
- City of Erie v. Pap's A. M.
- Michael Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc.
- Osborne v. Ohio
- Massachusetts v. Oakes
- Fort Wayne Books, Inc. v. Indiana
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- City of San Diego v. John Roe
- United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Michael Clingman v. Andrea L. Beaver
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
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