doran salem inn argued decided june three corporations salem august filed complaint district seeking temporary restraining order preliminary injunction declaratory relief doran law enforcement official claiming north hempstead ordinance proscribing topless dancing corporations provided entertainment bars violated first fourteenth amendment rights district denied prayer temporary restraining order instanter set motion preliminary injunction hearing august august alone three corporations theretofore complied ordinance resumed topless dancing whereupon served criminal summonses thereafter district issued preliminary injunction enforcement ordinance corporations pending final determination action appeals affirmed holding ordinance fall rejecting doran claim district dismissed complaint authority younger harris companion cases concluded bar relief salem prosecution ordinance different result deemed warranted view interests avoiding contradictory outcomes conserving judicial energy clearcut method determining federal courts defer state prosecutions doran appealed gives appellate jurisdiction behest party relying state statute held unconstitutional appeals held issues neither briefed argued whether applies review affirmance preliminary injunction confined review final judgment whether appeals fact held ordinance unconstitutional need resolved since certiorari jurisdiction matter reviewed question entitlement relief light younger harris supra companion cases considered corporation separately light contradictory outcomes factors relied upon appeals lumped three plaintiffs together pp younger squarely bars injunctive relief samuels mackell bars declaratory relief view fact criminal summonses issued days immediately following filing federal complaint federal litigation embryonic stage contested matter decided salem criminal proceedings pending subject younger restrictions seeking declaratory relief steffel thompson two corporations also seek preliminary injunctive relief without regard younger restrictions since prior final judgment declaratory remedy afford relief comparable preliminary injunction pp circumstances case light existing case law district abuse discretion granting preliminary injunctive relief salem pp district entitled conclude salem satisfied one two traditional requirements securing preliminary injunction showing irreparable injury made uncontested allegations absent relief suffer substantial business loss perhaps even bankruptcy pp district also entitled conclude corporations satisfied traditional requirement interim relief showing likelihood prevail merits since inter alia challenging standing challenge grayned city rockford topless ordinance unconstitutionally overbroad application protected activities places serve liquor well places see california larue pp rehnquist delivered opinion burger brennan stewart white marshall blackmun powell joined douglas filed opinion concurring judgment part dissenting part post joseph darago argued cause appellant brief francis doran pro se herbert kassner argued cause appellees brief ralph schwarz justice rehnquist delivered opinion appellant town attorney nassau county along local law enforcement officials preliminary enjoined district eastern district new york enforcing local ordinance town north hempstead salem inn frank supp aff addition defending ordinance merits contends complaint dismissed authority younger harris companion cases appellees three corporations operate bars various locations within town prior enactment ordinance question provided topless dancing entertainment customers july town enacted local law ordinance making unlawful bar owners others permit waitresses barmaids entertainers appear establishments breasts uncovered thinly draped appear uncovered appellees complied ordinance clothing dancers bikini tops august brought action district alleged ordinance violated rights first fourteenth amendments constitution pleadings sought temporary restraining order preliminary injunction declaratory relief prayer temporary restraining order denied instanter motion preliminary injunction set hearing august august day appellees complaint filed application temporary restraining order denied one restaurant resumed briefly suspended presentation topless dancing day three succeeding days topless dancers served criminal summonses based violation ordinance summonses returnable nassau county september two appellees salem inn bar resume presentation topless entertainment bars district issued preliminary injunction september appellant filed answer alleged criminal prosecution instituted least one appellees district urged refuse exercise jurisdiction dismiss complaint app september basis oral argument memoranda law district entered opinion order found local law town north hempstead face violative plaintiffs first amendment rights prohibits across board nonobscene conduct form topless dancing daily penalty violation ordinance prior decision validating similar ordinance overbreadth ordinance potential harm plaintiffs business enforcement justify federal intervention injunctive relief concluded enjoining appellant pending final determination action prosecuting plaintiffs violation local law way interfering activities may prohibited text said local law ibid address appellant younger contention held pending prosecution affect availability injunctive relief salem concluded federal relief granted two appellees anomalous extend well appeals second circuit affirmed divided vote held ordinance fall claim deprivation constitutional rights diminution business warranted issuance preliminary injunction appeals rejected appellant claim district dismissed appellees complaint authority younger harris supra companion cases salem younger present bar time pending prosecution ordinance thought posed slightly different problem since state prosecution begun one day filing appellees complaint district recognized situation squarely covered either younger steffel thompson concluded interests avoiding contradictory outcomes conservation judicial energy clearcut method determining federal courts defer state prosecutions militated favor granting relief three appellees deal first preliminary jurisdictional matter appeal taken provides appellate jurisdiction behest party relying state statute held unconstitutional appeals authority questioned never put rest available review sought final judgment slaker south carolina electric gas flemming see chicago atchison present appeal however seeks review affirmance preliminary injunction also less completely certain appeals fact hold local law unconstitutional since considered merits purpose ruling propriety preliminary injunctive relief need resolve issues neither briefed argued event certiorari jurisdiction previously done identical situation el paso simmons dismiss appeal treating papers petition certiorari grant writ certiorari turning younger issues raised petitioner faced necessity determining whether holdings younger supra steffel supra samuels mackell must give way interests efficient judicial administration relied upon appeals think interest avoiding conflicting outcomes litigation similar issues entitled substantial deference unitary system must necessity subordinated claims federalism particular area law classic example petitioner steffel companion warned failure cease pamphleteering result arrest petitioner steffel ceased brought action federal companion cease prosecuted charge criminal trespass state may said interest conservation judicial manpower worthy value unitary system existence one system federal courts systems state courts charged responsibility interpreting constitution suggests occasion duplicating overlapping adjudication cases sufficiently similar content time location justify heard single judge arisen within unitary system agree appeals therefore three plaintiffs automatically thrown hopper younger purposes thereby entitled injunctive relief accept view accept petitioner equally procrustean view barred injunctive relief sole plaintiff salem likewise barred injunctive relief declaratory relief well plainly may circumstances legally distinct parties closely related subject younger considerations govern one case respondents represented common counsel similar business activities problems apparently unrelated terms ownership control management thus think respondents placed position required cases respondent stood alone respondent pursued course taken respondents denial request temporary restraining order done subjected prosecution violation ordinance state criminal summonses issued days immediately following filing federal complaint federal litigation embryonic stage contested matter decided posture prayer injunction squarely governed younger likewise believe reasons samuels mackell bars obtaining declaratory relief absent showing younger special circumstances even though state prosecution commenced day following filing federal complaint violated ordinance rather awaiting normal development federal lawsuit heard complain constitutional contentions resolved state thus prayers injunctive declaratory relief subject younger restrictions rule regard coplaintiffs salem equally clear insofar seek declaratory relief salem subject state criminal prosecution time prior issuance preliminary injunction district steffel thus least obtained declaratory judgment upon ordinary showing entitlement relief district however grant declaratory relief salem instead granted preliminary injunctive relief whether injunctions future criminal prosecutions governed younger standards question reserved steffel younger harris hold facts case issuance preliminary injunction subject restrictions younger principle underlying younger samuels state courts fully competent adjudicate constitutional claims therefore federal exceptional circumstances refuse interfere ongoing state criminal proceeding absence proceeding however recognized steffel plaintiff may challenge constitutionality state statute federal assuming satisfy requirements federal jurisdiction see also lake carriers assn macmullan state proceedings pending either salem time district issued preliminary injunction question satisfied requirements federal jurisdiction already stated assuredly entitled declaratory relief since previously recognized rdinarily practical effect injunctive declaratory relief virtually identical samuels think salem entitled claims preliminary injunctive relief considered without regard younger restrictions conclusion successful federal challenge state statute local ordinance district generally protect interests federal plaintiff entering declaratory judgment therefore stronger injunctive medicine unnecessary prior final judgment established declaratory remedy comparable preliminary injunction unless preliminary relief available upon proper showing plaintiffs situations may suffer unnecessary substantial irreparable harm moreover neither declaratory injunctive relief directly interfere enforcement contested statutes ordinances except respect particular federal plaintiffs state free prosecute others may violate statute traditional standard granting preliminary injunction requires plaintiff show absence issuance suffer irreparable injury also likely prevail merits recognized however district must weigh carefully interests sides although temporary injunction prohibit state local enforcement activities federal plaintiff pending final resolution case federal result seriously impairs state interest enforcing criminal laws implicates concerns federalism lie heart younger standard applied district deciding whether plaintiff entitled preliminary injunction stringent standard appellate review simply whether issuance injunction light applicable standard constituted abuse discretion brown chote regard question close one believe issuance preliminary injunction behalf respondents salem abuse district discretion required support relief respondents alleged petitioner deny absent preliminary relief suffer substantial loss business perhaps even bankruptcy certainly latter type injury sufficiently meets standards granting interim relief otherwise favorable final judgment might well useless inquiry relevant preliminary relief whether respondents made sufficient showing likelihood ultimate success merits district appeals found likelihood order district spoke terms actually holding ordinance unconstitutional context preliminary injunction must intended refer likelihood respondents ultimately prevail appeals properly clarified point although customary barroom type nude dancing may involve barest minimum protected expression recognized california larue form entertainment might entitled first fourteenth amendment protection circumstances larue however concluded broad powers regulate sale liquor conferred amendment outweighed first amendment interest nude dancing state therefore ban dancing part liquor license program present case challenged ordinance applies merely places serve liquor many establishments well district observed believe correctly local ordinance attacked prohibits topless dancing bars also prohibits female appearing public place uncovered breasts limit interpretation term public place include theater town hall opera house well public market place street place assembly indoors outdoors thus ordinance prohibit performance ballet africains number works unquestionable artistic socially redeeming significance overbroad laws like vague ones deter privileged activity cases firmly establish appellant standing raise overbreadth challenge circumstances light existing case law conclude district abused discretion granting preliminary injunctive relief extent appellate inquiry therefore intimate view ultimate merits respondents contentions brown chote supra judgment appeals reversed respondent affirmed respondents salem ordered footnotes purposes local ordinances treated state statutes see chicago atchison respondent urges defense judgment even case controlled principles younger samuels mackell may obtain injunctive declaratory relief presence requisite special circumstances see younger particular claims subject repetitive harassing criminal prosecutions aimed suppressing expressive activity carried bar brief appellees district occasion consider issue decline basis spare record us justice douglas concurring judgment part dissenting part adhering position younger harris dissenting opinion join judgment insofar holds salem inn entitled preliminary injunction pending disposition request declaratory relief condone conduct violating challenged ordinance without awaiting judicial action federal complaint like appeals find compelling reason distinguish respondents terms relief appropriate therefore affirm judgment respects