Beauharnais v. Illinois
343 U.S. 250 · Decided April 28, 1952 · 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
Beauharnais v. Illinois was decided on April 28, 1952 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 343 U.S. 250 · 72 S. Ct. 725 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 919 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2799
- Docket number
- 118
- Decided
- April 28, 1952
- Argued
- November 28, 1951
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Beauharnais v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-071, docket 1951-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Barr v. Matteo
- Farmers Educational & Cooperative Union of America v. Wday, Inc.
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanLaw held unconstitutional
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Henry v. Collins
- Rosenblatt v. Baer
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Public Utilities Commission of the District of Columbia v. Pollak
- Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. WilsonAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Adler v. Board of Education of the City of New York
- Wieman v. UpdegraffLaw held unconstitutional
- Local Union No. 10 v. Graham
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Adler v. Board of Education of the City of New York
- Carlson v. Landon
- Harisiades v. Shaughnessy
- Zorach v. Clauson
- Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. WilsonAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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