Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.
467 U.S. 947 · Decided June 26, 1984 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc. was decided on June 26, 1984 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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 a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 467 U.S. 947 · 104 S. Ct. 2839 · 81 L. Ed. 2d 786 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 123
- Docket number
- 82-766
- Decided
- June 26, 1984
- Argued
- October 31, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-139, docket 1983-139-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Federal Communications Commission v. League of Women Voters of CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Roberts v. United States Jaycees
- Regan v. Time, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
- Members of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles v. Taxpayers for Vincent
- Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Allen v. Wright
- Board of License Commissioners of the Town of Tiverton v. Pastore
- Iron Arrow Honor Society v. Heckler
- Honig v. Students of the California School for the Blind
- Thomas v. Union Carbide Agricultural Products Co.
- Verlinden Bv v. Central Bank of Nigeria
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California
- Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight
- Lynch v. Donnelly
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Members of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles v. Taxpayers for Vincent
- Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
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