Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego

453 U.S. 490 · Decided July 2, 1981 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego was decided on July 2, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Metromedia, Inc., et al. v. City of San Diego, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1980-149, docket 1980-149-01.

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Other cases on “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys”

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• Friedman v. Rogers
  440 U.S. 1Decided February 21, 19797–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Township of WillingboroLaw held unconstitutional
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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

• Schad v. Borough of Mount EphraimLaw held unconstitutional
  452 U.S. 61Decided June 1, 19817–2Byron R. White
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  454 U.S. 90Decided November 30, 19816–2Per curiam
• In re R. M. J.Law held unconstitutional
  455 U.S. 191Decided January 25, 19829–0Lewis F. Powell Jr.
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  455 U.S. 489Decided March 2, 19828–0Thurgood Marshall
• Brown v. HartlageLaw held unconstitutional
  456 U.S. 45Decided April 5, 19829–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court for the County of NorfolkLaw held unconstitutional
  457 U.S. 596Decided June 23, 19826–3William J. Brennan Jr.

Same Term, same area (First Amendment)

• Stone v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
  449 U.S. 39Decided November 17, 19805–4Per curiam
• Democratic Party of United States v. Wisconsin ex Rel. La FolletteLaw held unconstitutional
  450 U.S. 107Decided February 25, 19816–3Potter Stewart
• Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security DivisionLaw held unconstitutional
  450 U.S. 707Decided April 6, 19818–1Warren E. Burger
• Flynt v. Ohio
  451 U.S. 619Decided May 18, 19815–4Per curiam
• Schad v. Borough of Mount EphraimLaw held unconstitutional
  452 U.S. 61Decided June 1, 19817–2Byron R. White
• Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.
  452 U.S. 640Decided June 22, 19815–4Byron R. White

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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