Moore v. City of East Cleveland
431 U.S. 494 · Decided May 31, 1977 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Moore v. City of East Cleveland was decided on May 31, 1977 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Zoning and land use restrictions” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 431 U.S. 494 · 97 S. Ct. 1932 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 531 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 17
- Docket number
- 75-6289
- Decided
- May 31, 1977
- Argued
- November 2, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Zoning and land use restrictions
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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 J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Moore v. City of East Cleveland, Ohio
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-117, docket 1976-117-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Zoning and land use restrictions”
- County Board of Arlington County v. Richards
- City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
- Agins et Ux. v. City of Tiburon
- Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas
- City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Wilkins v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Carey v. Population Services InternationalLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform
- Dixon v. Love
- Henderson v. Kibbe
- Manson v. Brathwaite
- Patterson v. New York
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Boston Stock Exchange v. State Tax CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Brunswick Corp. v. Pueblo Bowl-O-Mat, Inc.
- United States Steel Corp. v. Fortner Enterprises, Inc.
- Piper v. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc.
- E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Train
- City of Philadelphia v. New Jersey
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