Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas
416 U.S. 1 · Decided April 1, 1974 · 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
Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas was decided on April 1, 1974 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Zoning and land use restrictions” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 416 U.S. 1 · 94 S. Ct. 1536 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 797 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 122
- Docket number
- 73-191
- Decided
- April 1, 1974
- Argued
- February 19, 1974
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Zoning and land use restrictions
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Village of Belle Terre et al. v. Boraas et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-084, docket 1973-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Zoning and land use restrictions”
- City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
- Moore v. City of East ClevelandLaw held unconstitutional
- County Board of Arlington County v. Richards
- Agins et Ux. v. City of Tiburon
- City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Wilkins v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Lubin v. PanishLaw held unconstitutional
- Mayor of Philadelphia v. Educational Equality League
- Storer v. Brown
- American Party of Texas v. White
- Kahn v. Shevin
- Memorial Hospital v. Maricopa CountyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Merrill Lynch v. Ware
- North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy v. Snyder's Drug Stores, Inc.Altered precedent
- National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. National Association of Railroad Passengers
- Sea-Land Services, Inc. v. Gaudet
- Federal Power Commission v. New England Power Co.
- Teleprompter Corp. v. Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.
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