Barenblatt v. United States
360 U.S. 109 · Decided June 8, 1959 · 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
Barenblatt v. United States was decided on June 8, 1959 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Legislative investigations on internal security” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 360 U.S. 109 · 79 S. Ct. 1081 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 1115 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1809
- Docket number
- 35
- Decided
- June 8, 1959
- Argued
- November 18, 1958
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Legislative investigations on internal security
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Barenblatt v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-102, docket 1958-102-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Legislative investigations on internal security”
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Raley v. Ohio
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Flaxer v. United States
- Sacher v. United States
- McPhaul v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Cafeteria & Restaurant Workers Union v. McElroy
- Hutcheson v. United States
- Shaughnessy v. United States ex Rel. Mezei
- Dennis v. United States
- Jordan v. de George
- Johnson v. Eisentrager
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Flaxer v. United States
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Vitarelli v. Seaton
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Raley v. Ohio
- Greene v. McElroy
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