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 (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- 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
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Heffernan v. City of Paterson, New Jersey
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-035, docket 2015-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Reed v. Town of GilbertLaw held unconstitutional
- Walker v. Texas Division
- Matal v. TamLaw held unconstitutional
- Packingham v. North CarolinaLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. Franks
- Minnesota Voters Alliance v. ManskyLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman
- Williams–yulee v. the Florida Bar
- Harris v. QuinnLaw held unconstitutional
- McCullen v. CoakleyLaw held unconstitutional
- McCutcheon v. FECLaw held unconstitutional
- National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. BecerraLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
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