United States v. Robel
389 U.S. 258 · Decided December 11, 1967 · 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. Robel was decided on December 11, 1967 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Internal security legislation” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 389 U.S. 258 · 88 S. Ct. 419 · 19 L. Ed. 2d 508 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 2741
- Docket number
- 8
- Decided
- December 11, 1967
- Argued
- November 14, 1966
- Reargued
- October 9, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Internal security legislation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
United States v. Robel
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-033, docket 1967-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Internal security legislation”
- Schneider v. Smith
- United States v. Laub
- Travis v. United States
- Dennis v. United States
- Bryson v. United States
- Albertson v. Subversive Activities Control BoardLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation
- W. E. B. Dubois Clubs of America v. Clark
- Kimm v. Rosenberg
- Niukkanen v. McAlexander
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Bonetti v. Rogers
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Potomac News Co. v. United States
- Conner v. City of Hammond
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Chance v. California
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