Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205
391 U.S. 563 · Decided June 3, 1968 · 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
Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205 was decided on June 3, 1968 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 391 U.S. 563 · 88 S. Ct. 1731 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 811 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1471
- Docket number
- 510
- Decided
- June 3, 1968
- Argued
- March 27, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205, Will County
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-149, docket 1967-149-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Watts v. Seward School Board
- St. Amant v. Thompson
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts
- Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Rabeck v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Amalgamated Food Employees Union Local 590 v. Logan Valley Plaza, Inc.
- Lee Art Theatre, Inc. v. Virginia
- Cameron v. Johnson
- Ginsberg v. New York
- Interstate Circuit, Inc. v. City of DallasLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Potomac News Co. v. United States
- Conner v. City of Hammond
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Chance v. California
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