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Packingham v. North Carolina

137 S. Ct. 1730 · Decided June 19, 2017 · 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

Packingham v. North Carolina was decided on June 19, 2017 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
137 S. Ct. 1730 · 198 L. Ed. 2d 273 · 2017 U.S. LEXIS 3871
Docket number
15-1194
Decided
June 19, 2017
Argued
February 27, 2017
Court era
Roberts Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
8–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Anthony M. Kennedy
Opinion assigned by
John G. Roberts Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
First Amendment
Legal provision
First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Clarence ThomasSpecial concurrence
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgMajority
Justice Stephen G. BreyerMajority
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.Special concurrence
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.Special concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Sonia SotomayorMajority
Justice Elena KaganMajority

Did not participate: Neil M. Gorsuch.

Full case caption

Packingham v. North Carolina

SCDB identifiers: case 2016-046, docket 2016-046-01.

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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