California v. Larue
409 U.S. 109 · Decided December 5, 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
California v. Larue was decided on December 5, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 109 · 93 S. Ct. 390 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 342 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 128
- Docket number
- 71-36
- Decided
- December 5, 1972
- Argued
- October 10, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion 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
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
California et al. v. Larue et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-015, docket 1972-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Kois v. Wisconsin
- Miller v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
- Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton
- Kaplan v. California
- Heller v. New York
- Roaden v. Kentucky
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Papish v. Board of Curators of the University of Missouri
- Branzburg v. Hayes
- Lloyd Corp., Ltd. v. Tanner
- Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee
- Colten v. Kentucky
- Flower v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Papish v. Board of Curators of the University of Missouri
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee
- Miller v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
- Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton
- Kaplan v. California
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