Legislation: U.S. Supreme Court Decisions
Year Case Significance
1980 Fullilove v. Klutznick Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote the majority opinion, which upheld
Congress’s right to set aside 10 percent of federal public works funding
for minority contractors. This decision reaffirmed Congress’s right to set
racial quotas to combat discrimination.
1980 Harris v. McRae In what would become the first of a series of decisions on abortion
during the 1980’s, the justices upheld a federal law barring the use of
Medicaid funds for abortions, except when the mother’s life was in
danger and in cases of rape or incest. The 5-4 decision held that a
woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy did not entitle her to receive
government funding for that choice.
1980 Lewis v. United States In a 6-3 decision, the justices upheld Congress’s authority to prohibit
convicted felons from owning firearms. The Court ruled that Congress
could rationally conclude that any felony conviction is sufficient basis on
which to prohibit the possession of a firearm.
1980 Richmond Newspapers v. Virginia By a ruling of 7-1, the Court determined that a trial judge’s order to
close the courtroom to the public and media during a murder trial was
unconstitutional. The opinion maintained that the arbitrary closing of a
courtroom to avoid unwanted publicity violated the First Amendment,
and the closure of court hearings was permissible only under unusual
circumstances.
1981 Heffron v. International Society for
Krishna Consciousness
Chief Justice Burger’s majority opinion held that state fair organizers
did not violate a religious organization’s First Amendment rights when it
required the group to distribute its literature at a fixed location.
Members of the Krishna religion argued that the rule suppressed their
practice of distributing religious literature and soliciting donations in
public places. The Court maintained that the religious and free speech
rights of the Krishna members were not violated because fair organizers
treated all groups the same, regardless of their religious or political
affiliations.1981 Metromedia v. City of San Diego In his majority opinion, Justice Byron White ruled that an ordinance
banning billboards within San Diego city limits violated the First
Amendment. The Court determined that the city’s need for public
safety and appearance was insufficient to justify a ban on outdoor
advertising that was used by politicians and businesses.
1981 Rostker v. Goldberg This case was a challenge to a federal law that required men—but not
women—to register for possible military service. The majority opinion,
written by Justice William Rehnquist, held that the law did not violate
the Constitution or discriminate against women because the draft was
based on the need for combat troops and not on equity.
1981 United States Postal Service v. Council
of Greenburgh Civic Associations
The Court found that a federal law prohibiting the delivery of
unstamped material to private mailboxes was constitutional and did not
violate the First Amendment rights of groups seeking to deposit
messages at private homes without paying postage.