Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., et al. v. Village of Stratton et al.

Decided June 17, 2002. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 00-1737 · 536 U.S. 150 (2002) · Cited 293 times

Holding

The ordinance’s provisions making it a misdemeanor to engage in door-to-door advocacy without first registering with the mayor and receiving a permit violate the First Amendment as it applies to religious proselytizing, anonymous political speech, and the distribution of handbills.

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 8–1.

“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.

• Martin v. City of Struthers · 319 U.S. 141 (1943)
• Hynes v. Mayor and Council of Oradell · 425 U.S. 610 (1976)
• Cantwell v. Connecticut · 310 U.S. 296 (1940)
• Murdock v. Pennsylvania · 319 U.S. 105 (1943)
• Ward v. Rock Against Racism · 491 U.S. 781 (1989)
• Schneider v. State (Town of Irvington) · 308 U.S. 147 (1939)
• Employment Div., Dept. of Human Resources of Ore. v. Smith · 494 U.S. 872 (1990)
• Thomas v. Collins · 323 U.S. 516 (1945)
• McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission · 514 U.S. 334 (1995)
• Grosjean v. American Press Co. · 297 U.S. 233 (1936)
• Lovell v. City of Griffin · 303 U.S. 444 (1938)
• City of Erie v. Pap's A. M. · 529 U.S. 277 (2000)
• United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc. · 529 U.S. 803 (2000)
• Village of Schaumburg v. Citizens for a Better Environment · 444 U.S. 620 (1980)
• Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Inc. · 525 U.S. 182 (1999)
• Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC · 528 U.S. 377 (2000)
• Thomas v. Chicago Park District · 534 U.S. 316 (2002)
• Broadrick v. Oklahoma · 413 U.S. 601 (1973)
• Wisconsin v. Yoder · 406 U.S. 205 (1972)
• Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence · 468 U.S. 288 (1984)
• City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc. · 475 U.S. 41 (1986)
• Frisby v. Schultz · 487 U.S. 474 (1988)
• 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island · 517 U.S. 484 (1996)
• Talley v. California · 362 U.S. 60 (1960)
• Jamison v. Texas · 318 U.S. 413 (1943)
• Follett v. Town of McCormick · 321 U.S. 573 (1944)

Cited by

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

• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission · 558 U.S. 310 (2010)
• Lozman v. Riviera Beach · 585 U.S. 87 (2018)
• United States v. American Library Assn., Inc. · 539 U.S. 194 (2003)

Official text

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

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2002). 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).