HOME > First Amendment Library > Case   Wooley v. Maynard (doc. #: 75-1453) (1977)  [Findlaw] Secondary Link Wooley v. Maynard  [Legal Information Institute] Argument Date 11/29/1976 Decided 04/20/1977 Note David H. Souter, then Attorney General of New Hampshire, was the lead author on the briefs for the Appellant. Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski clerked for the Chief Justice the year this case was handed down. Supreme Court Ruling First Amendment claim sustained.   Issue Whether the State of New Hampshire may constitutionally enforce criminal sanctions against persons who cover the motto "Live Free or Die" on passenger vehicle license plates because that motto is repugnant to their moral and religious beliefs.   Case Summary & Additional Resources Majority Opinion Burger, C.J. Dissenting Opinion White, J. (dissenting in part & joined by Blackmun, J. & Rehnquist, J), & Rehnquist, J. (joined by Blackmun, J.) Lower Court Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Lower Court Ruling First Amendment claim sustained. Oral Arguments Oral Arguments  [Oyez] Lawyers For Petitioner Robert V. Johnson II, Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire (for Appellants) For Respondent Richard S. Kohn (for Appellees) Briefs For Petitioner Appendix David H. Souter & Robert V. Johnson, II (for Appellants) (jurisdictional statement) David H. Souter & Robert V. Johnson, II (for Appellants) (main brief) For Respondent Richard S. Kohn; Jack B. Middleton; R. David DePuy; Melvin L. Wulf; & Joel M. Gora (for Appellees) Interview Interview Opinion - Lower Court Maynard v. Wooley (3-judge Dist. Ct., per Coffin, C.J.) (406 F. Supp. 1381 (1976)) News AP, "Foes of Auto Tag Messages Gain," New York Times, April 21, 1977, p. 18 (includes photo of license plate) Mintz, Morton, "License Plate Ideology Out; License Plate Mottoes Limited," Washington Post, April 21, 1977, sect. A, p. 1 Other Chemerinsky, Erwin, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: PRINCIPLES & POLICIES (2nd ed., 2002), sect. 11.2.4.3 Dickson, Del, THE SUPREME COURT IN CONFERENCE (1940-1985): THE PRIVATE DISCUSSIONS BEHIND NEARLY 300 SUPREME COURT DECISIONS (2001), pp. 338-339 Kozinski, Alex, "A Tribute to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger" (100 Harv. L. Rev. 975 (1975)) Tribe, Laurence, "The Curvature of Constitutional Space," 103 Harvard Law Review 1, 22 (1989) Tribe, Laurence, AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (2nd ed., 1988), pp. 804, 807, 835, 893, 899, 916, 982, 983, 1000-1003 Commentary Will, George W., "Cleaning Up Those Plates," Washington Post, April 28, 1977, sect. A., p. 19  SEARCH MORE About this site About the First Amendment About the First Amendment Center How to contribute Video/RSS/podcasts First Amendment programs State of the First Amendment reports Religious liberty in public schools First Reports Supreme Court Columnists Experts First Amendment publications First Amendment Center history Glossary Freedom Sings™ Events First Amendment Schools Congressional Research Service reports Guest editorials FOI material The First Amendment Library Lesson plans freedomforum.org Newseum Contact us Privacy statement Related links

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