Time, Inc. v. Firestone
424 U.S. 448 · Decided March 2, 1976 · 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
Time, Inc. v. Firestone was decided on March 2, 1976 by a vote of 6–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 424 U.S. 448 · 96 S. Ct. 958 · 47 L. Ed. 2d 154 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 26
- Docket number
- 74-944
- Decided
- March 2, 1976
- Argued
- October 14, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Time, Inc. v. Firestone
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-041, docket 1975-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Old Dominion Branch No. 496 v. Austin
- Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.
- Herbert v. Lando
- Hutchinson v. Proxmire
- Wolston v. Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
- Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Hudgens v. National Labor Relations BoardAltered precedent
- McKinney v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Greer v. Spock
- Kelley v. Johnson
- Hynes v. Mayor and Council of Borough of OradellLaw held unconstitutional
- Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc.Altered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Buckley v. ValeoLaw held unconstitutional
- Hudgens v. National Labor Relations BoardAltered precedent
- McKinney v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Greer v. Spock
- Kelley v. Johnson
- Hynes v. Mayor and Council of Borough of OradellLaw held unconstitutional
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