Edwards v. South Carolina
372 U.S. 229 · Decided February 25, 1963 · 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
Edwards v. South Carolina was decided on February 25, 1963 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 372 U.S. 229 · 83 S. Ct. 680 · 9 L. Ed. 2d 697 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2050
- Docket number
- 86
- Decided
- February 25, 1963
- Argued
- December 13, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Edwards et al. v. South Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-052, docket 1962-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Fields v. South Carolina
- Fields v. City of Fairfield.
- Henry v. City of Rock Hill
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. ButtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Wood v. Georgia
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanLaw held unconstitutional
- Jacobellis v. Ohio
- A Quantity of Copies of Books v. KansasLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Arlan's Department Store of Louisville, Inc. v. Kentucky
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. ButtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan
- Fields v. South Carolina
- Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
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