Rav v. City of St. Paul
505 U.S. 377 · Decided June 22, 1992 · 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
Rav v. City of St. Paul was decided on June 22, 1992 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 505 U.S. 377 · 112 S. Ct. 2538 · 120 L. Ed. 2d 305 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 3863
- Docket number
- 90-7675
- Decided
- June 22, 1992
- Argued
- December 4, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- 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 Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
Rav v. City of St. Paul, Minnesota
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-105, docket 1991-105-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- United States v. Shawn D. EichmanLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Trade Commission v. Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association
- John J. Hurley and South Boston Allied War Veterans Council v. Irish-American GayLaw held unconstitutional
- Texas v. JohnsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Michael Boos, J. Michael Waller and Bridget Brooker v. Marion S. Barry, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- City of Houston v. HillLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Forsyth County v. the Nationalist MovementLaw held unconstitutional
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Walter Lee
- Walter Lee v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Charles W. Burson v. Mary Rebecca Freeman
- Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of the New York State Crime Victims BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of the New York State Crime Victims BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- David Dawson v. Delaware
- Charles W. Burson v. Mary Rebecca Freeman
- Forsyth County v. the Nationalist MovementLaw held unconstitutional
- Robert E. Lee v. Daniel Weisman Etc.Law held unconstitutional
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Walter Lee
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