United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc.
529 U.S. 803 · Decided May 22, 2000 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc. was decided on May 22, 2000 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. 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 an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 529 U.S. 803 · 120 S. Ct. 1878 · 146 L. Ed. 2d 865 · 2000 U.S. LEXIS 3427
- Docket number
- 98-1682
- Decided
- May 22, 2000
- Argued
- November 30, 1999
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 47 U.S.C. § 561
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States, et al. v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1999-063, docket 1999-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Scott Harold Southworth
- Legal Services Corporation v. Carmen VelazquezLaw held unconstitutional
- Robert Shaw v. Kevin Murphy
- Victoria Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Caren Cronk Thomas and Windy City Hemp Development Board v. Chicago Park District
- National Endowment for the Arts v. Karen Finley
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Los Angeles Police Department v. United Reporting Publishing Corporation
- Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government Pac
- Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Scott Harold Southworth
- City of Erie v. Pap's A. M.
- Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe
- Guy Mitchell v. Mary L. HelmsAltered precedent
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