Younger v. Harris
United States Supreme Court
401 U.S. 37 (1971)
- Written by Robert Schefter, JD
Facts
John Harris, Jr. (plaintiff) was a member of a labor party that promoted a type of socialism, called syndicalism, to replace capitalism in the American economy. Harris was indicted in state court and charged with violating California Penal Code §§ 11400 and 11401, known as the California Criminal Syndicalism Act (the act). Harris then filed a complaint in federal district court seeking an injunction to prohibit the district attorney of Los Angeles County, California, Younger (defendant), from prosecuting Harris. Harris alleged the act violated his rights of free speech and the press as guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. The district court held that it had jurisdiction over the claim and the power to enjoin Younger from prosecuting Harris. The district court ruled that the act was unconstitutional and enjoined Younger from prosecuting the current action against Harris. Younger appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)
Concurrence (Stewart, J.)
Concurrence (Brennan, J.)
Dissent (Douglas, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 812,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 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.
