Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
333 U.S. 178 · Decided March 8, 1948 · 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
Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc. was decided on March 8, 1948 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 333 U.S. 178 · 68 S. Ct. 591 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 628 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2450
- Docket number
- 50
- Decided
- March 8, 1948
- Argued
- October 24, 1947
- Reargued
- January 5, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Commercial speech, excluding attorneys
- 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Donaldson, Postmaster General, v. Read Magazine, Inc. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-045, docket 1947-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys”
- Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. New York
- Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations
- Bigelow v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc.Altered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Township of WillingboroLaw held unconstitutional
- Friedman v. Rogers
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Petrillo
- Craig v. Harney
- Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
- American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cox v. United States
- Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Saia v. New YorkLaw 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