Rabe v. Washington
405 U.S. 313 · Decided March 20, 1972 · 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
Rabe v. Washington was decided on March 20, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 405 U.S. 313 · 92 S. Ct. 993 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 258 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 78
- Docket number
- 71-247
- Decided
- March 20, 1972
- Argued
- February 29, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Rabe v. Washington
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-072, docket 1971-072-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Kois v. Wisconsin
- California v. Larue
- Grove Press, Inc. v. Maryland State Board of Censors
- Miller v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
- Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton
- Kaplan v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Loper v. Beto
- Stanley v. IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Papachristou v. City of JacksonvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Florida
- D. H. Overmyer Co., Inc. v. Frick Co.
- Swarb v. Lennox
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Parisi v. Davidson
- Cruz v. Beto
- Fein v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 7 of Yonkers
- Gooding v. WilsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Cole v. Richardson
- Wisconsin v. YoderLaw 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