United States v. Grace
461 U.S. 171 · Decided April 20, 1983 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Grace was decided on April 20, 1983 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Byron R. White 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 an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 461 U.S. 171 · 103 S. Ct. 1702 · 75 L. Ed. 2d 736 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 154
- Docket number
- 81-1863
- Decided
- April 20, 1983
- Argued
- January 18, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
United States et al. v. Grace et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-066, docket 1982-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Connick v. Myers
- Minneapolis Star & Tribune Co. v. Minnesota Commissioner of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Regan v. Taxation With Representation of Washington
- Perry Education Association v. Perry Local Educators' Association
- Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California
- Board of Education v. Pico
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- New York v. Ferber
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Claiborne Hardware Co.
- Clements v. Fashing
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee
- Perry Education Association v. Perry Local Educators' Association
- Minneapolis Star & Tribune Co. v. Minnesota Commissioner of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Connick v. Myers
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