First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti

435 U.S. 765 · Decided April 26, 1978 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti was decided on April 26, 1978 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

First National Bank of Boston et al. v. Bellotti, Attorney General of Massachusetts

SCDB identifiers: case 1977-073, docket 1977-073-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Campaign spending”

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  424 U.S. 1Decided January 30, 19767–1Per curiam
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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

• Landmark Communications, Inc. v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
  435 U.S. 829Decided May 1, 19787–0Warren E. Burger
• Pinkus v. United States
  436 U.S. 293Decided May 23, 19788–1Warren E. Burger
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  438 U.S. 1Decided June 26, 19784–3Warren E. Burger
• Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation
  438 U.S. 726Decided July 3, 19785–4John Paul Stevens
• Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District
  439 U.S. 410Decided January 4, 19799–0William H. Rehnquist

Same Term, same area (First Amendment)

• New York v. Cathedral AcademyLaw held unconstitutional
  434 U.S. 125Decided December 6, 19776–3Potter Stewart
• McDaniel v. PatyLaw held unconstitutional
  435 U.S. 618Decided April 19, 19788–0Warren E. Burger
• Landmark Communications, Inc. v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
  435 U.S. 829Decided May 1, 19787–0Warren E. Burger
• Pinkus v. United States
  436 U.S. 293Decided May 23, 19788–1Warren E. Burger
• Houchins v. Kqed, Inc.
  438 U.S. 1Decided June 26, 19784–3Warren E. Burger
• Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation
  438 U.S. 726Decided July 3, 19785–4John Paul Stevens

See all

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