City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

426 U.S. 668, 96 S.Ct. 2358, 49 L.Ed.2d 132 (1976)

From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

United States Supreme Court
426 U.S. 668, 96 S.Ct. 2358, 49 L.Ed.2d 132 (1976)

Play video

Facts

In order to change a land use under the zoning laws of the City of Eastlake (defendant), the change must first pass in the city council, and then must be passed by the voters of Eastlake by a majority of 55 percent in a referendum. Forest City Enterprises, Inc. (plaintiff) attempted to change a plot of land zoned for light industrial use, to one suitable for multi-family housing. When the change passed the city council, Forest City Enterprises, Inc. attempted to change the land use for an adjacent plot of land so as to permit construction of a parking lot. The city council denied the request because the first request had not yet been passed by the city voters in a referendum. Once put up to a vote, it failed. Forest City Enterprises, Inc. brought suit against Eastlake, claiming that the referendum was an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority. Both the Court of Common Pleas and the Ohio Court of Appeals upheld Eastlake’s ordinance. The Ohio Supreme Court reversed. Eastlake then petitioned for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Burger, C.J.)

Dissent (Powell, J.)

Dissent (Stevens, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 796,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials
  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 796,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 796,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership