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Heffernan v. City of Paterson

578 U.S. 266 · Decided April 26, 2016 · 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

Heffernan v. City of Paterson was decided on April 26, 2016 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
578 U.S. 266 · 136 S. Ct. 1412 · 194 L. Ed. 2d 508 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 2924
Docket number
14-1280
Decided
April 26, 2016
Argued
January 19, 2016
Court era
Roberts Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–2
Majority opinion
Stephen G. Breyer
Opinion assigned by
John G. Roberts Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Heffernan v. City of Paterson, New Jersey

SCDB identifiers: case 2015-035, docket 2015-035-01.

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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