Lamont v. Postmaster General
381 U.S. 301 · Decided May 24, 1965 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Lamont v. Postmaster General was decided on May 24, 1965 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 381 U.S. 301 · 85 S. Ct. 1493 · 14 L. Ed. 2d 398 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 2286
- Docket number
- 491
- Decided
- May 24, 1965
- Argued
- April 26, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 39 U.S.C. § 4008
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Concurrence |
Did not participate: Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Lamont, Dba Basic Pamphlets v. Postmaster General
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-111, docket 1964-111-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Cameron v. Johnson
- Dombrowski v. PfisterLaw held unconstitutional
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama ex Rel. Flowers
- Mills v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia ex Rel. Virginia State Bar
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Seeger
- Henry v. Collins
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error