Ferris J. Alexander, Sr. v. United States
509 U.S. 544 · Decided June 28, 1993 · 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
Ferris J. Alexander, Sr. v. United States was decided on June 28, 1993 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 509 U.S. 544 · 113 S. Ct. 2766 · 125 L. Ed. 2d 441 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 4409
- Docket number
- 91-1526
- Decided
- June 28, 1993
- Argued
- January 12, 1993
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Eighth Amendment (prohibition of excessive fines)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Ferris J. Alexander, Sr. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-113, docket 1992-113-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc.
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw held unconstitutional
- Sable Communications of California, Inc. v. Federal Communications CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- John D. Ashcroft v. the Free Speech CoalitionLaw held unconstitutional
- John Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (prohibition of excessive fines)
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Fred H. Edenfield v. Scott FaneLaw held unconstitutional
- El Vocero de Puerto Rico v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Lamb's Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
- Wisconsin v. Todd Mitchell
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. and Ernesto Pichardo v. City of HialeahLaw 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