Cort v. Ash
422 U.S. 66 · Decided June 17, 1975 · 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
Cort v. Ash was decided on June 17, 1975 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 422 U.S. 66 · 95 S. Ct. 2080 · 45 L. Ed. 2d 26 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 143
- Docket number
- 73-1908
- Decided
- June 17, 1975
- Argued
- March 18, 1975
- Court era
- Burger 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Federal Election Campaign Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| 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
Cort et al. v. Ash
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-124, docket 1974-124-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Buckley v. ValeoLaw held unconstitutional
- First National Bank of Boston v. BellottiLaw held unconstitutional
- California Medical Association v. Federal Election Commission
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Election Campaign Act
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cantrell v. Forest City Publishing Co.
- Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. CohnLaw held unconstitutional
- Southeastern Promotions, Ltd. v. Conrad
- Meek v. PittengerLaw held unconstitutional
- Eastland v. United States Servicemen's Fund
- Bigelow v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
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