Nelson v. County of Los Angeles
362 U.S. 1 · Decided February 29, 1960 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Nelson v. County of Los Angeles was decided on February 29, 1960 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Security risk dismissals or benefit denials” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 362 U.S. 1 · 80 S. Ct. 527 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 494 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1564
- Docket number
- 152
- Decided
- February 29, 1960
- Argued
- January 13, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Security risk dismissals or benefit denials
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Earl Warren.
Full case caption
Nelson et al. v. County of Los Angeles et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-039, docket 1959-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Security risk dismissals or benefit denials”
- Flemming v. Nestor
- Greene v. McElroy
- Taylor v. McElroy
- Vitarelli v. Seaton
- Cafeteria & Restaurant Workers Union v. McElroy
- Beilan v. Board of Public Education
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Thompson v. City of Louisville
- Blackburn v. Alabama
- Nostrand v. Little
- Spano v. New York
- Safeway Stores, Inc. v. Oklahoma Retail Grocers Association, Inc.
- Napue v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Smith v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Bates v. City of Little RockLaw held unconstitutional
- Talley v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Nostrand v. Little
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
- Flemming v. Nestor
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