Paul, Chief of Police, Louisville, et al. v. Davis

Decided March 23, 1976. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 74-891 · 424 U.S. 693 (1976) · Cited 4,836 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–3.

“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.

• Wisconsin v. Constantineau · 400 U.S. 433 (1971)
• Jenkins v. McKeithen · 395 U.S. 411 (1969)
• Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth · 408 U.S. 564 (1972)
• Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath · 341 U.S. 123 (1951)
• Goss v. Lopez · 419 U.S. 565 (1975)
• Wieman v. Updegraff · 344 U.S. 183 (1952)
• Monroe v. Pape · 365 U.S. 167 (1961)
• Hannah v. Larche · 363 U.S. 420 (1960)
• United States v. Lovett · 328 U.S. 303 (1946)
• Cafeteria & Restaurant Workers Union, Local 473 v. McElroy · 367 U.S. 886 (1961)
• In Re WINSHIP · 397 U.S. 358 (1970)
• Meyer v. Nebraska · 262 U.S. 390 (1923)
• Screws v. United States · 325 U.S. 91 (1945)
• Adickes v. S. H. Kress & Co. · 398 U.S. 144 (1970)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Arnett v. Kennedy · 416 U.S. 134 (1974)
• Michelson v. United States · 335 U.S. 469 (1948)
• Greene v. McElroy · 360 U.S. 474 (1959)
• Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of NM · 353 U.S. 232 (1957)
• Peters v. Hobby · 349 U.S. 331 (1955)
• Terry v. Ohio · 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
• Conley v. Gibson · 355 U.S. 41 (1957)
• Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics · 403 U.S. 388 (1971)
• Katz v. United States · 389 U.S. 347 (1967)
• Morrissey v. Brewer · 408 U.S. 471 (1972)
• Stanley v. Illinois · 405 U.S. 645 (1972)
• Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. · 418 U.S. 323 (1974)
• Griffin v. Breckenridge · 403 U.S. 88 (1971)
• Michigan v. Mosley · 423 U.S. 96 (1975)
• Bolling v. Sharpe · 347 U.S. 497 (1954)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Siegert v. Gilley · 500 U.S. 226 (1991)
• Bishop v. Wood · 426 U.S. 341 (1976)
• Kerry v. Din · 576 U.S. 86 (2015)
• Albright v. Oliver · 510 U.S. 266 (1994)
• Parratt v. Taylor · 451 U.S. 527 (1981)
• Kingsley v. Hendrickson · 576 U.S. 389 (2015)
• Spencer v. Kemna · 523 U.S. 1 (1998)
• Leis v. Flynt · 439 U.S. 438 (1979)
• Bell v. Wolfish · 441 U.S. 520 (1979)
• County of Sacramento v. Lewis · 523 U.S. 833 (1998)
• Ingraham v. Wright · 430 U.S. 651 (1977)
• Juidice v. Vail · 430 U.S. 327 (1977)
• Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales · 545 U.S. 748 (2005)
• Codd v. Velger · 429 U.S. 624 (1977)
• Connecticut Department of Public Safety v. Doe · 538 U.S. 1 (2003)
• Hudson v. Palmer · 468 U.S. 517 (1984)
• Daniels v. Williams · 474 U.S. 327 (1986)
• Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill · 470 U.S. 532 (1985)
• DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services · 489 U.S. 189 (1989)
• Collins v. City of Harker Heights · 503 U.S. 115 (1992)
• Zinermon v. Burch · 494 U.S. 113 (1990)
• United States Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press · 489 U.S. 749 (1989)
• Owen v. City of Independence · 445 U.S. 622 (1980)
• Roberts v. United States Jaycees · 468 U.S. 609 (1984)
• McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
• Department of the Air Force v. Rose · 425 U.S. 352 (1976)
• Moore v. City of East Cleveland · 431 U.S. 494 (1977)
• Whalen v. Roe · 429 U.S. 589 (1977)
• Atwater v. City of Lago Vista · 532 U.S. 318 (2001)
• College Savings Bank v. Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board · 527 U.S. 666 (1999)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).