Freedman v. Maryland
380 U.S. 51 · Decided March 1, 1965 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Freedman v. Maryland was decided on March 1, 1965 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 380 U.S. 51 · 85 S. Ct. 734 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 649 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1732
- Docket number
- 69
- Decided
- March 1, 1965
- Argued
- November 19, 1964
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Freedman v. Maryland
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-046, docket 1964-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Dombrowski v. PfisterLaw held unconstitutional
- Lamont v. Postmaster GeneralLaw held unconstitutional
- Cameron v. Johnson
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama ex Rel. Flowers
- Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia ex Rel. Virginia State Bar
- Mills v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Henry v. Collins
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Jacobellis v. Ohio
- A Quantity of Copies of Books v. KansasLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- United States v. Seeger
- Henry v. Collins
- Dombrowski v. PfisterLaw 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