Wisconsin v. Constantineau
United States Supreme Court
400 U.S. 433 (1971)
- Written by Eric Cervone, LLM
Facts
A Wisconsin statute authorized police chiefs and other officials to forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons whose use of such beverages endangered their families or the public peace. The police chief of Hartford, Wisconsin posted a public placard prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to Norma Grace Constantineau (plaintiff), a Hartford resident, for one year. The police chief did not give Constantineau notice or a hearing before posting the placard. Constantineau sued the state of Wisconsin (defendant). Constantineau alleged that the statute violated her due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution because it did not require notice or a hearing before making a posting. A federal district court ruled for Constantineau, and Wisconsin appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Douglas, J.)
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