Johnson v. City of Cincinnati
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
310 F.3d 484 (2002)

- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
The City of Cincinnati (defendant) sought to curb drug activity in certain neighborhoods. To do so, the city adopted an ordinance designating neighborhoods with significantly high rates of drug abuse as drug-exclusion zones. The ordinance provided that any individual arrested for a drug offense in an exclusion zone was not permitted on public streets and sidewalks in exclusion zones for up to 90 days. If the individual was convicted, the ban increased to one year. There was an exception to the ban if an individual lived or worked in an exclusion zone. Patricia Johnson (plaintiff) was arrested for a drug offense in an exclusion zone, subjecting her to the ban. Johnson regularly helped care for her grandchildren who lived in an exclusion zone. Johnson sued the city, arguing that the ordinance was unconstitutional. The district court ruled in Johnson’s favor. The city appealed, claiming, among other things, that it had tried other ways to combat drug abuse in these neighborhoods to no avail.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Martin Jr., C.J.)
Dissent (Gilman, J.)
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