- Papachristou v. Jacksonville
SCOTUSCase
Litigants=Papachristou v. Jacksonville
Docket=70-5030
ArgueDateA=December 8
ArgueDateB=
ArgueYear=1971
DecideDate=February 24
DecideYear=1972
FullName=Margaret Papachristou et al. v. City of Jacksonville
USVol=405
USPage=156
Citation=92 S. Ct. 839; 31 L. Ed. 2d 110; 1972 U.S. LEXIS 84
Prior=Certiorari to the District Court of Appeal of Florida, 236 So. 2d 141 (1970)
Subsequent=
Oral Argument=
Holding=The court ruled that the Jacksonville vagrancy ordinance was unconstitutionally vague because people do not have fair notice of forbidden behavior and are arbitrarily arrested.
SCOTUS=1972-1975
Majority=Douglas
JoinMajority=Burger, Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall, Blackmun
Concurrence=
NotParticipating=Powell and Rehnquist
LawsApplied="Papachristou v. Jacksonville", 405 U.S. 156 (
1972 ), was a United States Supreme Court case resulting in a Jacksonville vagrancy ordinance being declared unconstitutionally vague. The case was argued onDecember 8 ,1971 and decided onFebruary 24 1972 . Therespondent was the city ofJacksonville, Florida .Facts
Papachristou was one of eight defendants who were convicted for violating a
Jacksonville, Florida vagrancy ordinance. The defendants were charged with several violations under the ordinance: being vagabonds, loitering, being common thieves, disorderly loitering, and resisting arrest.Opinion of the Court
The court held that the vagrancy ordinance was unconstitutionally vague because it gave too much arbitrary power to the police. The court found that the laws could potentially criminalize a variety of innocent activities, such as "Nightwalking," or "habtitually living 'without visible means of support.'" A valid law, the Court found, needed to be clearly written and evenly administered.
ee also
*
List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 405 External links
*caselaw source
case="Papachristou v. Jacksonville", 405 U.S. 156 (1972)
enfacto=http://www.enfacto.com/case/U.S./405/156/
other_source1=resource.org
other_url1=http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/US/405/405.US.156.70-5030.html
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