Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham

Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
Argued October 18, 1968
Decided March 10, 1969
Full case nameShuttlesworth v. Birmingham
Citations394 U.S. 147 (more)
89 S. Ct. 935; 22 L. Ed. 2d 162
Holding
The Court held that (1) even though the actual construction of § 1159 of the Birmingham General City Code was unconstitutional, the judicial construction of the ordinance prohibited only standing or loitering on public property that obstructed free passage, but it was unclear from the record, whether the literal or judicial construction was applied; and (2) the literal construction of § 1159 of the Birmingham General City Code was unconstitutional, and the statutory application revealed that it applied to the enforcement of an officer's order in directing vehicular traffic.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · William O. Douglas
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Abe Fortas · Thurgood Marshall
Case opinions
MajorityStewart, joined by Warren, Black, Douglas, Brennan, White, Fortas
ConcurrenceHarlan
Marshall took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham, 394 U.S. 147 (1969), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court struck down a Birmingham, Alabama ordinance that prohibited citizens from holding parades and processions on city streets without first obtaining a permit.