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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.

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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
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Village of Belle Terre et al. v. Boraas et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1973-084, docket 1973-084-01.

Other cases on “Zoning and land use restrictions”

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)

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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