Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc.
435 U.S. 589 · Decided April 18, 1978 · 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
Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc. was decided on April 18, 1978 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Privacy” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 435 U.S. 589 · 98 S. Ct. 1306 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 570 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 80
- Docket number
- 76-944
- Decided
- April 18, 1978
- Argued
- November 8, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Privacy
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- 44 U.S.C. § 2107
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-066, docket 1977-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Privacy”
- Whalen v. Roe
- Wainwright v. Stone
- Bowers v. Hardwick
- Griswold v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- Vernonia School District 47J v. Wayne Acton
- Roy Romer v. Richard G. EvansLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 44 U.S.C. § 2107
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
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