Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville
422 U.S. 205 · Decided June 23, 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
Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville was decided on June 23, 1975 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 422 U.S. 205 · 95 S. Ct. 2268 · 45 L. Ed. 2d 125 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 79
- Docket number
- 73-1942
- Decided
- June 23, 1975
- Argued
- February 26, 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-129, docket 1974-129-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- McKinney v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Jenkins v. Georgia
- Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc.
- Splawn v. California
- Ward v. Illinois
- Heller v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Bigelow v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Southeastern Promotions, Ltd. v. Conrad
- Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. CohnLaw held unconstitutional
- Cantrell v. Forest City Publishing Co.
- Time, Inc. v. Firestone
- Hudgens v. National Labor Relations BoardAltered precedent
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