Police Department of the City of Chicago v. Mosley
408 U.S. 92 · Decided June 26, 1972 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Police Department of the City of Chicago v. Mosley was decided on June 26, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 408 U.S. 92 · 92 S. Ct. 2286 · 33 L. Ed. 2d 212 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 133
- Docket number
- 70-87
- Decided
- June 26, 1972
- Argued
- January 19, 1972
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Police Department of the City of Chicago et al. v. Mosley
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-161, docket 1971-161-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Grayned v. City of RockfordLaw held unconstitutional
- Colten v. Kentucky
- Gooding v. WilsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Cohen v. California
- Coates v. City of CincinnatiLaw held unconstitutional
- Radich v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Wright v. Council of the City of Emporia
- United States v. Scotland Neck City Board of EducationLaw held unconstitutional
- Peters v. Kiff
- James v. StrangeLaw held unconstitutional
- Moose Lodge No. 107 v. Irvis
- Jackson v. IndianaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Parisi v. Davidson
- Rabe v. Washington
- Cruz v. Beto
- Fein v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 7 of Yonkers
- Gooding v. WilsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Cole v. Richardson
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