Dennis v. United States
341 U.S. 494 · Decided June 4, 1951 · 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
Dennis v. United States was decided on June 4, 1951 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Internal security legislation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 494 · 71 S. Ct. 857 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 1137 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2407
- Docket number
- 336
- Decided
- June 4, 1951
- Argued
- December 4, 1950
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Fred M. Vinson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Internal security legislation
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: Tom C. Clark.
Full case caption
Dennis et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-089, docket 1950-089-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Internal security legislation”
- Carlson v. Landon
- Harisiades v. Shaughnessy
- Osman v. Douds
- American Communications Assn., C. I. O. v. Douds
- Pennsylvania v. Nelson
- Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Jordan v. de George
- Johnson v. Eisentrager
- Ewing v. Mytinger & Casselberry, Inc.
- Shaughnessy v. United States ex Rel. Mezei
- Federal Communications Commission v. WJR
- Ludecke v. Watkins
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Niemotko v. Maryland
- Kunz v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Feiner v. New York
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
- National Labor Relations Board v. Highland Park Manufacturing Co.
- Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles
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