Aptheker v. Secretary of State
378 U.S. 500 · Decided June 22, 1964 · 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
Aptheker v. Secretary of State was decided on June 22, 1964 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Arthur J. Goldberg 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
- 378 U.S. 500 · 84 S. Ct. 1659 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 992 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 2225
- Docket number
- 461
- Decided
- June 22, 1964
- Argued
- April 21, 1964
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Arthur J. Goldberg
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Aptheker et al. v. Secretary of State
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-165, docket 1963-165-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Internal security legislation”
- Rabinowitz v. Kennedy
- American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- Zemel v. Rusk
- United States v. BrownAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- 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)
- Fields v. City of Fairfield.
- Greene v. United States
- Kreznar v. United States.
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanLaw held unconstitutional
- Rabinowitz v. Kennedy
- Henry v. City of Rock Hill
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