United States v. Reynolds
345 U.S. 1 · Decided March 9, 1953 · 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
United States v. Reynolds was decided on March 9, 1953 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 345 U.S. 1 · 73 S. Ct. 528 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 727 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2329
- Docket number
- 21
- Decided
- March 9, 1953
- Argued
- October 21, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Fred M. Vinson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Reynolds et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-051, docket 1952-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- United States ex Rel. Touhy v. Ragen
- Hickman v. Taylor
- St. Regis Paper Co. v. United States
- Environmental Protection Agency v. Mink
- Renegotiation Board v. Bannercraft Clothing Co., Inc.
- National Labor Relations Board v. Sears
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Johnson v. New York
- United States v. Oregon State Medical Society
- Kaufman v. Societe Internationale Pour Participations Industrielles et Commerciales, S. A.
- McAllister v. United States
- United States v. Moore et Ux.
- Ackermann v. United States
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