United States ex Rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy
338 U.S. 537 · Decided January 16, 1950 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States ex Rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy was decided on January 16, 1950 by a vote of 4–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sherman Minton wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Security risk dismissals or benefit denials” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 338 U.S. 537 · 70 S. Ct. 309 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 317 · 1950 U.S. LEXIS 2481
- Docket number
- 54
- Decided
- January 16, 1950
- Argued
- December 5, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–3
- Majority opinion
- Sherman Minton
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Security risk dismissals or benefit denials
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 8 U.S.C. § 232
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas, Tom C. Clark.
Full case caption
United States ex Rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy, Acting District Director of Immigration and Naturalization
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-033, docket 1949-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Security risk dismissals or benefit denials”
- Adler v. Board of Education of the City of New York
- Linehan v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
- Barsky v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York
- Peters v. Hobby
- Service v. Dulles
- Beilan v. Board of Public Education
Cases on the same legal provision: 8 U.S.C. § 232
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cole v. Arkansas
- United States v. Alpers
- American Communications Assn., C. I. O. v. Douds
- Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Etc. Union v. Hanke
- Building Service Employees International Union v. Gazzam
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