Bigelow v. Virginia

Bigelow v. Virginia
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued December 18, 1974
Decided June 16, 1975
Full case nameBigelow v. Commonwealth of Virginia
Citations421 U.S. 809 (more)
95 S. Ct. 2222; 44 L. Ed. 2d 600; 1975 U.S. LEXIS 73; 1 Media L. Rep. 1919
Case history
PriorConviction upheld by Virginia Supreme Court, 213 Va. 191, 191 S.E. 2d 173 (1972).
Holding
The First Amendment prevents states from prohibiting advertisements of clearly legal products or conduct.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William O. Douglas · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
Case opinions
MajorityBlackmun, joined by Burger, Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Powell
DissentRehnquist, joined by White
Laws applied
U.S. Const., Amends. I and XIV

Bigelow v. Virginia, 421 U.S. 809 (1975),[1] was a United States Supreme Court decision that established First Amendment protection for commercial speech.[2] The ruling is an important precedent on challenges to government regulation of advertising, determining that such publications qualify as speech under the First Amendment.

  1. ^ Bigelow v. Virginia, 421 U.S. 809 (S. Ct., 1975).
  2. ^ Greenhouse, Linda (2006). Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey. Times Books. pp. 116–119. ISBN 9780805080575.