Packingham v. North Carolina
137 S. Ct. 1730 · Decided June 19, 2017 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Packingham v. North Carolina was decided on June 19, 2017 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2016
Case details
- Citations
- 137 S. Ct. 1730 · 198 L. Ed. 2d 273 · 2017 U.S. LEXIS 3871
- Docket number
- 15-1194
- Decided
- June 19, 2017
- Argued
- February 27, 2017
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- 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
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Did not participate: Neil M. Gorsuch.
Full case caption
Packingham v. North Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 2016-046, docket 2016-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Matal v. TamLaw held unconstitutional
- Minnesota Voters Alliance v. ManskyLaw held unconstitutional
- Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach
- Heffernan v. City of Paterson
- Nieves v. Bartlett
- Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman
- National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. BecerraLaw held unconstitutional
- Janus v. American Federation of StateAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Williams–yulee v. the Florida Bar
- Thompson v. Hebdon
- Harris v. QuinnLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman
- Matal v. TamLaw held unconstitutional
- Trinity Lutheran Church v. ComerLaw 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