John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
542 U.S. 656 · Decided June 29, 2004 · 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
John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union was decided on June 29, 2004 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 “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 542 U.S. 656 · 124 S. Ct. 2783 · 159 L. Ed. 2d 690 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 4762
- Docket number
- 03-218
- Decided
- June 29, 2004
- Argued
- March 2, 2004
- 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
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
John D. Ashcroft, Attorney General v. American Civil Liberties Union et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-090, docket 2003-090-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
- John Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- John D. Ashcroft v. the Free Speech CoalitionLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Michael Williams
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
- City of San Diego v. John Roe
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Mike Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association
- Michael Clingman v. Andrea L. Beaver
- Ulysses Tory v. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
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