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Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas

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Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas
Argued February 19–20, 1974
Decided April 1, 1974
Full case nameVillage of Belle Terre, et al., v. Bruce Boraas, et al.
Citations416 U.S. 1 (more)
94 S. Ct. 1536; 39 L. Ed. 2d 797; 6 ERC 1417
Case history
PriorAppeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Boraas v. Village of Belle Terre, 476 F.2d 806 (2d Cir. 1973))
Holding
An ordinance restricting land use to “one-family” dwellings did not involve a procedural disparity, did not deprive any group of a fundamental right, and is rationally related to a permissible government objective.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William O. Douglas · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
Case opinions
MajorityDouglas, joined by Burger, Stewart, White, Blackmun, Powell, Rehnquist
DissentBrennan
DissentMarshall
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas, 416 U.S. 1 (1974), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court upheld the constitutionality of a residential zoning ordinance in Belle Terre, New York, allowing a restrictive definition of family that prevented unrelated college students from residing in a single-family dwelling.[1]

Background

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The Village of Belle Terre is a village in Long Island, New York. The village only permitted one-family residencies. Six students studying at Stony Brook University rented a home in the village. None of them were related in any way, so their living situation violated the ordinance. The District Court found the ordinance constitutional.[2] The defendants moved out of the house during proceedings.[3]

Second Circuit Decision

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The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that the ordinance was unconstitutional and violated the students' rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Constitutional Amendment.[4] This reversed the District Court's judgement.

Supreme Court Decision

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In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Village of Belle Terre and found that the ordinance was constitutional.[5]

Majority opinion

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William O. Douglas delivered the opinion of the court. The court stated that ordinance involved no procedural disparities or any deprivation of a fundamental right.[3] The court also decided that the tenants moving out during court proceedings was irrelevant.

Dissent

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A dissent was delivered by Thurgood Marshall. He believed that the ordinance violated the First Amendment rights to freedom of association.[2]

Dissent

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Another dissent was delivered by William J. Brennan Jr. based on the fact that the tenants had moved out and therefore had no cognizable case.

See also

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Moore v. East Cleveland, 431 U.S. 494 (1977)

References

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  1. ^ Schulman, Sy J.; Hagman, Donald G.; Bair, Fred H. Jr.; Stickel, Fred G. II (1974). "Reports' Comments on Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas". Land Use Law & Zoning Digest. 26 (6): 3–7 – via Hein Online.
  2. ^ a b "Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas, 416 U.S. 1 (1974)". Justia Law. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  3. ^ a b United States, U.S. Supreme Court (U.S.). Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas. United States Reports, vol. 416, 1 Apr. 1974, pp. 1-20. Library of Congress, tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep416/usrep416001/usrep416001.pdf. Accessed 26 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Boraas v. Village of Belle Terre, 476 F.2d 806 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  5. ^ "Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas". Oyez Project. Chicago-Kent College of Law. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
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