Blount v. Rizzi
400 U.S. 410 · Decided January 14, 1971 · 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
Blount v. Rizzi was decided on January 14, 1971 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 400 U.S. 410 · 91 S. Ct. 423 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 498 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 94
- Docket number
- 55
- Decided
- January 14, 1971
- Argued
- November 10, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 39 U.S.C. § 4006
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Blount, Postmaster General, et al. v. Rizzi, Dba the Mail Box
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-022, docket 1970-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- United States v. Reidel
- United States v. Thirty-Seven (37) Photographs (Luros
- Rowan v. United States Post Office Department
- United States v. 12 200-ft. Reels of Super 8mm. Film (Paladini
- United States v. Orito
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Baird v. State Bar of Arizona
- In re Stolar
- Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond
- United States v. Weller
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
- Time, Inc. v. Pape
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