Lewis v. City of New Orleans
415 U.S. 130 · Decided February 20, 1974 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Lewis v. City of New Orleans was decided on February 20, 1974 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 415 U.S. 130 · 94 S. Ct. 970 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 214 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 96
- Docket number
- 72-6156
- Decided
- February 20, 1974
- Argued
- December 10, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Lewis v. City of New Orleans
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-052, docket 1973-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Smith v. GoguenLaw held unconstitutional
- Hess v. Indiana
- Norwell v. City of Cincinnati
- Spence v. WashingtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Police Department of the City of Chicago v. MosleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Grayned v. City of RockfordLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Communist Party of Indiana v. WhitcombLaw held unconstitutional
- Procunier v. MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Pell v. Procunier
- Saxbe v. Washington Post Co.
- Hamling v. United States
- Jenkins v. Georgia
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Plummer v. City of ColumbusLaw held unconstitutional
- Norwell v. City of Cincinnati
- Musser v. United States
- Hess v. Indiana
- Communist Party of Indiana v. WhitcombLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. GoguenLaw 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