City of Littleton, Colorado v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C., a Limited Liability Company, Dba Christal'S
Decided June 7, 2004. Stephen Gerald Breyer delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 02-1609 · 541 U.S. 774 (2004) · Cited 182 times
Holding
The ordinance meets the First Amendment’s requirement that such a licensing scheme assure prompt judicial review of an administrative decision denying a license.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 5
- Stephen Gerald Breyer · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Clarence Thomas
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 4
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia · filed a concurring opinion
- David Hackett Souter · filed a concurring opinion
- John Paul Stevens · filed a concurring opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Freedman v. Maryland · 380 U.S. 51 (1965)
- FW/PBS, Inc. v. City of Dallas · 493 U.S. 215 (1990)
- City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc. · 535 U.S. 425 (2002)
- City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. · 475 U.S. 41 (1986)
- Schlesinger v. Councilman · 420 U.S. 738 (1975)
- Ginzburg v. United States · 383 U.S. 463 (1966)
- Thomas v. Chicago Park District · 534 U.S. 316 (2002)
- City News & Novelty, Inc. v. City of Waukesha · 531 U.S. 278 (2001)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Stephen Gerald Breyer’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2004). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).