Stanley v. Georgia
394 U.S. 557 · Decided April 7, 1969 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Stanley v. Georgia was decided on April 7, 1969 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Obscenity, state” 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
- 394 U.S. 557 · 89 S. Ct. 1243 · 22 L. Ed. 2d 542 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1972
- Docket number
- 293
- Decided
- April 7, 1969
- Argued
- January 14, 1969
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Stanley v. Georgia
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-078, docket 1968-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Carlos v. New York
- Lee Art Theatre, Inc. v. Virginia
- Henry v. Louisiana
- Rabeck v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Interstate Circuit, Inc. v. City of Dallas
- Ginsberg v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Street v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
- Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
- Red Lion Broadcasting Co., Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Brandenburg v. OhioAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Carroll v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Epperson v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Carroll v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne
- Clark v. Gabriel
- Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church
- Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
- Gregory v. City of Chicago
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