Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union
521 U.S. 844 · Decided June 26, 1997 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union was decided on June 26, 1997 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 521 U.S. 844 · 117 S. Ct. 2329 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 874 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 4037
- Docket number
- 96-511
- Decided
- June 26, 1997
- Argued
- March 19, 1997
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- 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
- 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 | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Janet Reno, Attorney General of the United States, et al. v. American Civil Liberties Union et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-094, docket 1996-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc.
- Ferris J. Alexander, Sr. v. United States
- John D. Ashcroft v. the Free Speech CoalitionLaw held unconstitutional
- John Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Dan Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliott, Inc.
- Paul Schenck and Dwight Saunders v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
- Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Ralph P. Forbes
- Bd. of County Comm'rs v. Umbehr
- National Endowment for the Arts v. Karen Finley
- 44 Liquormart, Inc. and Peoples Super Liquor Stores, Inc. v. Rhode Island and Rhode Island Liquor Stores AssociationAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Dan Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliott, Inc.
- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
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