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New York v. P.J. Video, Inc.

475 U.S. 868 · Decided April 22, 1986 · 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

New York v. P.J. Video, Inc. was decided on April 22, 1986 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
475 U.S. 868 · 106 S. Ct. 1610 · 89 L. Ed. 2d 871 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 104
Docket number
85-363
Decided
April 22, 1986
Argued
March 4, 1986
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 H. Rehnquist
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue (SCDB)
Obscenity, state
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

Full case caption

New York v. P.J. Video, Inc., Dba Network Video, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1985-072, docket 1985-072-01.

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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