CaseTrail

Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville

405 U.S. 156 · Decided February 24, 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

Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville was decided on February 24, 1972 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
405 U.S. 156 · 92 S. Ct. 839 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 110 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 84
Docket number
70-5030
Decided
February 24, 1972
Argued
December 8, 1971
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
7–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
William O. Douglas
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Due Process
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A municipal or other local ordinance
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.

Full case caption

Papachristou et al. v. City of Jacksonville

SCDB identifiers: case 1971-062, docket 1971-062-01.

Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)

Same Term, same area (Due Process)

See all

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