Iancu v. Brunetti
Decided June 24, 2019. Elena Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 18-302 · 588 U.S. 388 (2019) · Cited 119 times
Holding
The Lanham Act prohibition on the registration of “immoral” or “scandalous” trademarks infringes the First Amendment.
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
Majority · 6
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr. · filed a concurring opinion
- Elena Kagan · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Concurring in part, dissenting in part · 3
- John G. Roberts, Jr. · filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part
- Stephen G. Breyer · filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
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.
- Matal v. Tam · 582 U.S. 218 (2017)
- Cohen v. California · 403 U.S. 15 (1971)
- R. A. v. v. City of St. Paul · 505 U.S. 377 (1992)
- Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of University of Virginia · 515 U.S. 819 (1995)
- Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire · 315 U.S. 568 (1942)
- Ward v. Rock Against Racism · 491 U.S. 781 (1989)
- Frisby v. Schultz · 487 U.S. 474 (1988)
- Reed v. Town of Gilbert · 576 U.S. 155 (2015)
- Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez · 531 U.S. 533 (2001)
- Christian Legal Soc. Chapter of Univ. of Cal., Hastings College of Law v. Martinez · 561 U.S. 661 (2010)
- Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation · 438 U.S. 726 (1978)
- City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. · 475 U.S. 41 (1986)
- United States v. Stevens · 559 U.S. 460 (2010)
- Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union · 521 U.S. 844 (1997)
- Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser · 478 U.S. 675 (1986)
- National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley · 524 U.S. 569 (1998)
- Miller v. California · 413 U.S. 15 (1973)
- National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. · 301 U.S. 1 (1937)
- Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. · 473 U.S. 788 (1985)
- Boos v. Barry · 485 U.S. 312 (1988)
- Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Ass'n · 555 U.S. 353 (2009)
- King v. St. Vincent's Hospital · 502 U.S. 215 (1991)
- McDonnell v. United States · 579 U.S. 550 (2016)
- Perry Education Ass'n v. Perry Local Educators' Ass'n · 460 U.S. 37 (1983)
- Stern v. Marshall · 564 U.S. 462 (2011)
- Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah · 508 U.S. 520 (1993)
- TRW Inc. v. Andrews · 534 U.S. 19 (2001)
- Brandenburg v. Ohio · 395 U.S. 444 (1969)
- Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. · 556 U.S. 502 (2009)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Vidal v. Elster · 602 U.S. 286 (2024)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Elena Kagan’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2019). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).