Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight
465 U.S. 271 · Decided February 21, 1984 · 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
Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight was decided on February 21, 1984 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 465 U.S. 271 · 104 S. Ct. 1058 · 79 L. Ed. 2d 299 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 28
- Docket number
- 82-898
- Decided
- February 21, 1984
- Argued
- November 1, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-035, docket 1983-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California
- Members of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles v. Taxpayers for Vincent
- Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
- Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Federal Communications Commission v. League of Women Voters of CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Roberts v. United States Jaycees
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence
- Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Wayte v. United States
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Zauderer v. Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of OhioLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California
- Lynch v. Donnelly
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Members of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles v. Taxpayers for Vincent
- Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
- Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.Law 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