Inc. Young v. American Mini Theatres

Petitioner

Coleman A. Young, Mayor of the City of Detroit

Respondent

American Mini Theatres, Inc.

Petitioner's Claim

That city zoning ordinances attempting to prevent concentration of sexually oriented businesses did not violate the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Maureen Pulte Reilly

Chief Lawyers for Respondent

Stephen M. Taylor and John H. Weston

Justices for the Court

Warren E. Burger, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens (writing for the Court), Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

24 June 1976

Decision

The Supreme Court upheld the ordinance as constitutional.

Sources

Marjorie Heins and Jon Cummings, "New York Forum about Nude Clubs: Stripping the First Amendment." Newsday, 13 May 1993.

Carlos Campos, "Nudity and Alcohol: Study Disputes Blight Claims." Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 27 November 1997.

Further Readings

• Greenawalt, Kent. Fighting Words: Individuals, Communities, and Liberties of Speech. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995.
• Hixson, Richard F. Pornography and the Justices: The Supreme Court and the Intractable Obscenity Problem. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1996.
• Jasper, Margaret C. The Law of Obscenity and Pornography. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, 1996.