Colten v. Kentucky
407 U.S. 104 · Decided June 12, 1972 · 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
Colten v. Kentucky was decided on June 12, 1972 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 407 U.S. 104 · 92 S. Ct. 1953 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 584 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 43
- Docket number
- 71-404
- Decided
- June 12, 1972
- Argued
- April 17, 1972
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Colten v. Kentucky
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-136, docket 1971-136-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Police Department of the City of Chicago v. MosleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Grayned v. City of RockfordLaw held unconstitutional
- Gooding v. WilsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Cohen v. California
- Coates v. City of CincinnatiLaw held unconstitutional
- Radich v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Flower v. United States
- Lloyd Corp., Ltd. v. Tanner
- Kois v. Wisconsin
- Branzburg v. Hayes
- Cole v. Richardson
- California v. Larue
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Parisi v. Davidson
- Rabe v. Washington
- Cruz v. Beto
- Fein v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 7 of Yonkers
- Gooding v. WilsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Cole v. Richardson
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