United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
539 U.S. 194 · Decided June 23, 2003 · 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
United States v. American Library Association, Inc. was decided on June 23, 2003 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 539 U.S. 194 · 123 S. Ct. 2297 · 156 L. Ed. 2d 221 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 4799
- Docket number
- 02-361
- Decided
- June 23, 2003
- Argued
- March 5, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- 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
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States, et al. v. American Library Association, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-076, docket 2002-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- John Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- John D. Ashcroft v. the Free Speech CoalitionLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Michael Williams
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Virginia v. Kevin Lamont Hicks
- Illinois ex Rel. Lisa Madigan v. Telemarketing Associates, Inc.
- Virginia v. Barry Elton BlackLaw held unconstitutional
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
- Republican Party of Minnesota v. Suzanne White
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Virginia v. Barry Elton BlackLaw held unconstitutional
- Illinois ex Rel. Lisa Madigan v. Telemarketing Associates, Inc.
- Virginia v. Kevin Lamont Hicks
- William Overton v. Michelle Bazzetta
- Federal Election Commission v. Christine Beaumont
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