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SUBJECTS › LEGAL › Juvenile Curfews - Court Decisions
Updated 07/03

Court Decisions - Juvenile Curfews

  1. City of Sumner v. Walsh, 148 Wn. 2d 490 (2003)

    The state supreme court held that Sumner's curfew ordinance, which makes it unlawful for juveniles to "remain" in a public place during certain hours, is unconstitutionally vague, because "it does not provide 'ascertainable standards for locating the line between innocent and unlawful behavior'." The court noted that "it may be difficult for a city to draft a curfew ordinance that is not unconstitutionally vague."

  2. State v. J.D., 86 Wn. App. 501 (1997)

    In June 1997, Division One of the Washington State Court of Appeals held that the city of Bellingham's juvenile curfew ordinance "infringes on minors' fundamental freedom of movement and expression and is not narrowly tailored to address the problem of juvenile crime" and is unconstitutionally vague.

  3. Seattle v. Pullman, 82 Wn.2d 794 (1973)

    In this decision, the state supreme court held a Seattle curfew ordinance to be unconstitutional, while stating that juvenile curfew ordinances "may be permissible where they are specific in their prohibitions and necessary in curing a demonstrated social evil."

  4. Nunez v. City of San Diego, 114 F.3d 935 (9th Cir. 1997)

    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared a City of San Diego, California juvenile curfew ordinance to be unconstitutional for reasons similar to those relied upon by the Washington State Court of Appeals in State v. J.D.

  5. Qutb v. Strauss, 11 F.3d 488 (5th Cir. 1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1127 (1994)

    The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Dallas, Texas juvenile curfew ordinance, rejecting a challenge based upon grounds of equal protection and a parent's right to rear children without undue governmental interference.

  6. Hutchins v. District of Columbia, 188 F.3d 531 (D.C. Cir. 1999)

    The District of Columbia Court of Appeals reversed a prior circuit court panel ruling and upheld the district's juvenile curfew ordinance, modeled on the Dallas, Texas curfew ordinance upheld by the 5th Circuit in Qutb v. Strauss.