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YOUNG v. AMERICAN MINI THEATRES, INC. 427 U.S. 50 (1976)

In Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc. the Supreme Court upheld a Detroit ZONING ordinance requiring adult theaters to be located certain distances from residential areas and specified businesses. Four Justices led by Justice JOHN PAUL STEVENS argued that adult movies ranked low in the hierarchy of FIRST AMENDMENT values. Four dissenting Justices led by Justice POTTER STEWART argued that the First Amendment recognized no hierarchy for types of protected speech. Justice LEWIS F. POWELL agreed with the dissent, but voted to uphold the ordinance, arguing that the theater owners had asserted no First Amendment interest of their own and that the First Amendment interests of others, including moviemakers and potential audiences, were not endangered.