Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville
405 U.S. 156 · Decided February 24, 1972 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville was decided on February 24, 1972 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 405 U.S. 156 · 92 S. Ct. 839 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 110 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 84
- Docket number
- 70-5030
- Decided
- February 24, 1972
- Argued
- December 8, 1971
- 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
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- 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 O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Papachristou et al. v. City of Jacksonville
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-062, docket 1971-062-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- Giglio v. United States
- Smith v. Florida
- Groppi v. Leslie
- Jackson v. IndianaLaw held unconstitutional
- McNeil v. Director
- Moore v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- D. H. Overmyer Co., Inc. v. Frick Co.
- Swarb v. Lennox
- Lindsey v. NormetLaw held unconstitutional
- Rabe v. Washington
- Loper v. Beto
- In re Little
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Arciniega v. Freeman, U.S. Marshal
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Jennings v. Mahoney
- Groppi v. Leslie
- Giglio v. United States
- Smith v. Florida
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